UK intelligence scrutinizes Moscow's latest countrywide civil emergency simulation
Nation5 October 2023, 01:35 PM
Russia has
been conducting civil defense exercises throughout the country, training to
respond to a large-scale international armed conflict, the UK Defense Ministry
notes in its latest intelligence report published on X (formerly Twitter) on
Oct. 5.
However, this activity is not unusual: Such exercises have been held annually since 2012 and are timed to coincide with Russian Civil Defense Day, which is marked on Oct. 4, UK intelligence noted.
UK intelligence also noted that this year's exercises had not been radically changed or expanded.
According to the report, for many generations, the Soviet Union, and later Russia, regularly trained and made internal preparations for a major conflict.
However, even with Russia's ongoing aggression in Ukraine, it is unlikely that the Kremlin has significantly changed its position on national preparedness in recent months, UK intelligence said.