Nuclear power is also expected to appear in the Victory Day celebrations commemorating the 77th anniversary of Russia’s victory in World War II.
On the 7th (local time), Russian state news agency Rianovosti reported that Russian troops had completed their final rehearsal at ‘Red Square’ in Moscow. The Victory Day event will be held on the 9th local time.
11,000 soldiers participated in the final rehearsal. More than 140 military equipment and 77 aircraft were also shown. 9,000 police and defense forces and 500 employees of the Department of Transportation also participated.
The final exercises for the parade featured major tanks, armored vehicles, rockets, missile systems, fighters, and aerial tankers. Eight MiG-29SMTs flew in the shape of the letter Z, a symbol of Ukraine’s special military operations. Another fighter jet flew through the sky, emitting the colors of the Russian flag.
In particular, the IL-80 ‘Doomsday’, an aerial command and control aircraft developed in preparation for nuclear war, was also unveiled. It is known that it is the first time in 12 years since 2010 that Doomsday appeared at the Victory Day celebration.
Doomsday is an air command and control plane that can keep the command and control by boarding the president and the military supreme commander when the ground command and control center is destroyed during a nuclear war. It is said that the aircraft is equipped with advanced communication equipment and survival facilities that can operate nuclear power, and is designed to withstand a powerful nuclear explosion. Specific details are state secrets.
In addition, the Iskander, a short-range ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, and the Yarsu, an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) of terror, also appeared.
There is an interpretation that Putin is sending a nuclear warning to the West over the introduction of Doomsday and the like this time. Since the invasion of Russia, the West has provided military support to Ukraine along with sanctions against Russia. Putin has expressed dissatisfaction with this, designating unfriendly countries to take economic retaliatory measures.