On Wednesday, October 22, 2025, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation announced the conduct of the strategic nuclear deterrence exercise codenamed Grom, involving the forces and assets of the Strategic Missile Forces (RVSN), the Northern Fleet of the Navy, and the Long-Range Aviation of the Aerospace Forces (VKS).
Launch of an RS-24 Yars Intercontinental Ballistic Missile / Photo: Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
The exercise was supervised from the National Defense Management Center (NDMC) in Moscow by President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, and Chief of the General Staff, Army General Valery Gerasimov, who, under Russia’s nuclear doctrine, are collectively responsible for making the decision to carry out a nuclear strike. During the exercise, training ballistic and cruise missiles carrying thermonuclear warheads were launched.
“Today we have scheduled exercises related to the management of strategic nuclear forces, as the defense minister has just reported. Let’s get to work,” said Putin.
Reports by the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation and the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia on the Commencement of the Exercise / Source: RuTube
From the Plesetsk State Cosmodrome in the Arkhangelsk Oblast in northern Russia, an RS-24 Yars intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) was launched from a mobile launcher. Its training warhead struck a simulated target at the Kura missile range on the Kamchatka Peninsula.
Nominally, the RS-24 Yars carries between three and six thermonuclear warheads with yields of 100–300 kilotons each, over a range of 10,500–12,000 kilometers. The missile is 22.5 meters long, with a diameter of 2 meters for the first stage, 1.8 meters for the second, and 1.6 meters for the third. Its launch weight is 49.6 metric tons.
Start of RS-24 Yars / Source: RuTube
From the submerged strategic nuclear-powered submarine K-117 Bryansk of Project 667BDRM Delfin (NATO reporting name: Delta IV), a submarine-launched ballistic missile R-29RMU Sineva / RSM-54 (DIA/NATO designation: SS-N-23A Skiff, GRAU index: 3M27) was launched in the waters of the Barents Sea.
The R-29RMU missile is 14.8 meters long, 1.9 meters in diameter, and has a launch weight of 40.3 metric tons. It can carry either four 500-kiloton thermonuclear warheads or ten 100-kiloton warheads, as well as decoys.
Start of Sineva / Source: RuTube
Meanwhile, an unspecified number of cruise missiles were launched from a Tu-95MS strategic bomber (NATO reporting name: Bear-H). Aircraft of this type are capable of carrying, among others, Raduga Kh-102 cruise missiles (DIA/NATO designation: AS-23B Kodiak), each measuring 7.45 meters in length and weighing 2.4 tons. Powered by a TRDD-50A turbofan engine, the missile has an official subsonic range of 3,500 kilometers (although the conventional Kh-101 variant used in the war in Ukraine has achieved ranges of up to 4,000 kilometers). It carries a 250-kiloton nuclear warhead and is guided to its target using inertial navigation and GLONASS satellite navigation, supplemented by a Doppler radar system.
It is worth noting that the scale of this year’s exercise was smaller than last year’s, when three ballistic missiles were launched and two strategic bombers took part.
At the same time, from October 13 to 24, NATO’s annual nuclear deterrence exercise, codenamed Steadfast Noon, is being conducted in Europe. The exercise involves around 70 aircraft from 14 countries, including both nuclear-capable aircraft and their escorts.
