(EDM) The Grom 2019 exercise of Russian strategic forces last week (October 15–17) received limited media attention, which was overwhelmed by the escalation of the Syrian calamity (see EDM, October 17) and the continuation of the Brexit drama. But this year’s Grom maneuvers were, in fact, unprecedented in both their scale and intensity. Official information is deliberately imprecise. But reportedly, launches of ballistic missiles by submarines of the Northern and Pacific fleets were coordinated with missile strikes from Tu-95MS long-range bombers and with the test of a land-based intercontinental missile; ships of the Northern Fleet and the Caspian Flotilla practiced Kalibr cruise missile strikes against onshore targets; and S-400 surface-to-air missile systems in Crimea defended against a simulated air attack (Rossiiskaya gazeta, October 17). This complex test of the whole range of Russian capabilities highlights achievements in preparations for a full-scale nuclear war (Ezhednevny Zhurnal, October 17). […]
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