Russia's strategic forces undertook drills on Wednesday, including a test launch of a ballistic missile from a submarine, which further raised the concerns of deploying a nuclear weapon in the Ukraine war, reports AFP.
Russian President Vladimir Putin surveyed the drills carried out by his nuclear-capable forces as Moscow persisted in claiming, without offering evidence, that Kyiv was developing a "dirty bomb."
On Monday the Russian foreign ministry posted photographs of ostensible nuclear materials on social media it said depicted "Ukraine's capacities to create the 'dirty bomb.'"
But on Wednesday Slovenia said the photo came from its own nuclear waste management agency and dated to 2010.
According to Dragan Barbutovski, an advisor of Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob, it depicted smoke detectors.
- Submarine missile launch -
Western officials downplayed the Kremlin's war games, a regular event for which Moscow gave foreign counterparts advance warning.
"Under the leadership of... Vladimir Putin, a training session was held with ground, sea and air strategic deterrence forces, during which practical launches of ballistic and cruise missiles took place," the Kremlin said in a statement.
Russian state-run media ran footage of a submarine crew preparing the launch of a Sineva ballistic missile from the Barents Sea in the Arctic.
The drills also included launching test missiles from the Kamchatka peninsula in the Russian Far East.
Bd-pratidin English/Lutful Hoque
