Russia to hold nuclear forces drills today with over 64,000 troops as Putin travels to China to meet with Xi Jinping

Russia's Defense Ministry says their armed forces will conduct exercises ⁠of its nuclear forces starting Tuesday, May 19, through May 21. The exercises will involve over 64,000 personnel, more than 7,800 pieces of military equipment, over 200 missile launchers, more than 140 aircraft, 73 surface ships, and 13 submarines, including eight strategic missile-carrying submarine cruisers.

Among the forces involved in the exercise are the Strategic Missile Forces, the Northern and Pacific Fleets, the Long Range Aviation Command, and some forces from the Leningrad and Central Military Districts. Troops will conduct ballistic and cruise missile launches at test ranges across Russia and practice readying nuclear forces units for mission readiness.

The exercise will also focus on the joint training and use of nuclear weapons deployed in the Republic of Belarus. The Belarusian Defense Ministry said the exercise is a scheduled event of troop training as part of Russia-Belarus Union State measures and is not directed against any other countries.

The joint exercise takes place one day after Ukraine carried out its largest drone attack on Moscow and the surrounding region, in which at least three people were killed. Kyiv claimed it struck Moscow's biggest refinery, an oil depot in Solnechnogorsk, and a microelectronics factory.

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry condemned the drills, saying Russia is "de facto legitimizing the proliferation of nuclear weapons worldwide," by turning Belarus into what it called a "nuclear staging ground near NATO borders." 

These drills are occurring simultaneously with Vladimir Putin's trip to China. Putin is in China today and Wednesday to meet with President Xi Jinping. This meeting comes less than a week after Trump wrapped up his own summit with Xi. The visit coincides with the 25th anniversary of the Sino-Russian Treaty of Friendship.

However, the trip may not be all celebrations, as reports say, during their meeting, Xi Jinping told Donald Trump that Putin may end up "regretting" launching his invasion of Ukraine.