Russia says it has deployed a new 'Yars' intercontinental ballistic missile in southern Moscow

On Sunday, December 17, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that it has deployed a new intercontinental ballistic missile 'Yars' at the launch pad in the Kozelsk base in southwestern Moscow. According to Reuters, the 'RS-24 Yars' missile, which is 23 meters long and designed for multiple targeting, can hit several positions with nuclear warheads. The Russian Ministry of Defense stated, 'Strategic missile forces have deployed a Yars intercontinental ballistic missile at the Kozelsk facility.' The Ministry also released footage of the transfer and deployment of this massive missile, accompanied by rock music. According to reports, Russia possesses the largest nuclear arsenal in the world. Together, Russia and the United States hold over 90% of the world's nuclear weapons. According to the Federation of American Scientists, Russia has approximately 5,889 nuclear warheads, while the United States has about 5,244. Of these, both Russia and the United States have around 1,570 deployed strategic nuclear warheads. Lloyd Austin, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, defended plans announced in the latest U.S. national defense strategy to eliminate at least two nuclear programs following a test of a 'Yars' ballistic missile on October 26. Accordingly, the B61-83 gravity bomb, which is a non-guided atomic bomb, and the sea-launched cruise missile 'SLCM' armed with nuclear weapons were removed from Pentagon programs. Austin stated in an interview, 'Unlike China, Russia cannot challenge the United States in the long term, but Russia's aggression against Ukraine is an immediate threat to our interests and values.' He described President Vladimir Putin as reckless and stated that he is the most significant threat to Europe since World War II. Earlier in May last year, Russia announced its intention to deploy 'Sarmat' intercontinental missiles, which had recently been tested and are usable in nuclear attacks, to the east of Moscow. The Sarmat missile is capable of carrying at least 10 nuclear warheads and can strike targets thousands of kilometers away in the United States or Europe. Since the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Western concerns about the risk of a nuclear war have increased. At that time, Putin threatened that any confrontation with his forces would lead to unprecedented consequences. Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, warned, 'The prospect of nuclear war, once unthinkable, has now returned to the realm of possibility.'