Russia conducts mobile nuclear missile launcher drills

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's Defence Ministry said on Friday it was conducting drills involving Yars mobile nuclear missile launchers, less than a month after it held tactical nuclear weapons deployment exercises alongside ally Belarus.

The ministry said Yars missile launcher crews in at least two different regions were set to move over 100 kilometres (62 miles) and practice camouflage and deployment.

It published video showing a mobile launcher manoeuvering along forest roads and taking up position before troops covered it in camouflage netting.

"Similar exercises will be held by other missile units in the near future," the defence ministry said.

In June, Russia conducted tactical nuclear weapons drills with Belarus after what Moscow said were threats from Western powers.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said then that Moscow had no need to use nuclear weapons to secure victory in Ukraine, but added that he did not rule out changes to the country's nuclear doctrine.

(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Lucy Papachristou; Editing by Andrew Osborn)