NATO and Russia are set to separately hold long planned exercises of their nuclear forces at a time of huge tension as Russia continues its war on Ukraine, writes CNN.

The Pentagon and the US intelligence community are watching for any unexpected or unusual movements of Moscow’s nuclear weapons during Russia’s exercise, which is expected to take place before the end of the month, according to several US officials.

“We believe that that Russian nuclear rhetoric and its decision to proceed with this exercise while at war with Ukraine is irresponsible. Brandishing nuclear weapons to coerce the United States and its allies is irresponsible”, - a senior defense official told CNN.

The Russian exercise called Grom, which roughly translates into thunder, is conducted every year, according to the US. “We anticipate the exercise will span several days. It’ll include actions within the normal bounds of what Russia has done in the past. It’ll include live missile launches and a deployment of strategic assets”, - said John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council.