In brief

• Russia's Defense Ministry says it loaded a Yars intercontinental ballistic missile into a silo launcher.
• The ministry says the operation took several hours and that rearmament will strengthen strategic nuclear forces.
• The claim comes from the ministry and state-run media and has not been independently confirmed.

Loading announced by the ministry

The Russian Defense Ministry said a Yars strategic missile system with an intercontinental ballistic missile was loaded into a mine-based launch silo at a stationary missile formation. The ministry said the operation was carried out with a specialized transport-loading unit and took several hours (Ракету «Ярс» загрузили в шахтную пусковую установку – gazeta.press) (МО: баллистическую ракету РК «Ярс» загрузили в шахтную пусковую установку – mail.ru).

What the ministry says it means

According to the ministry, the rearmament planned for this year will raise the share of modern missile systems and improve the combat capability of the land-based component of Russia's strategic nuclear forces. It also said the modernization includes new infrastructure for crews on duty, including living and rest conditions (Росія встановила міжконтинентальну балістичну ракету "Ярс" у пускову шахту – UNIAN).

About the Yars system

Yars is a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile that can be deployed either on mobile launchers or in silos, and it carries multiple warheads. It is described as a modification of the Topol-M system. Ukrainian defense outlets say the missile can strike targets up to 11,000 km away.

Context

In September, President Vladimir Putin told a meeting of the Military-Industrial Commission that Russia's Strategic Missile Forces are well equipped, and said no other nuclear power could match such figures. Earlier this year, Western governments reacted with concern to large nuclear drills by Russia and Belarus, in which Yars and Sineva missiles were launched.

What is not confirmed

Russian state media and the ministry are the only sources for the loading itself. Independent confirmation, including the silo location and the number of missiles involved, was not found in the material reviewed.