Russia's Nuclear Forces on High Alert, Equipped with Hypersonic Missiles That Can Hit Targets Worldwide Within 30 Minutes

While expressing a desire to avoid war with NATO, Vladimir Putin is providing certain military units with high-caliber missiles as a precautionary measure.

Recent footage reveals Russia's military loading an intercontinental ballistic missile in the Orenburg region, near the southern border. The event occurred one month after the transportation of an ICBM to the Orenburg complex, making it possible the video shown on Dec. 17 is a rerun.

Although Orenburg is closer to Kazakhstan than Ukraine, it serves as a precursor to the promised seven ICBM test launches in 2024, an increase from the recent annual four.

On Dec. 17, The Kyiv Independent reported another ICBM loading in the Kaluga region, southwest of Moscow and near the Belarus border.

While superpowers have had ICBMs in their arsenals for decades, Russia seeks to instill fear in the West with its Avangard launching device.

Described by some as a "meteorite," the Avangard is hypersonic, capable of sending missiles at 27 times the speed of sound. It can even release missiles from outside Earth's atmosphere, enabling targets worldwide to be hit within 30 minutes, the Daily Mirror reported.

On Dec. 17, Sergey Karakayev, Russia’s commander of strategic forces, declared the country's nuclear forces as being at "high readiness to perform tasks," indicating continuous combat duty in a special mode.

The ICBM video release coincided with Russia marking Strategic Missile Forces Day. Additional released footage shows Russian troops training with Yars missiles, which can be armed with nuclear capabilities.

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These drills are expected to continue into January, showcasing Yars systems' ability to send nuclear warheads to different targets simultaneously.

While Putin claims no interest in fighting NATO countries, Russia remains prepared for battle. According to the Federation of American Scientists, Russia possessed 5,889 nuclear warheads as of early this year, with 1,674 currently deployed. This warhead count surpasses the estimated U.S. total of 5,244, though the U.S. nearly matches Russia in deployment, with 1,670 on "high alert."