RUSSIA – On Wednesday Dec. 17, Russia said that it had deployed Yars intercontinental ballistic missile system for combat patrol during routine training exercises in Siberia.

Heavy-duty equipment left special installations and commenced maneuvers, including night-time movements, the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

“Calculations of mobile ground-based rocket systems (MGRC) ‘Yars’ in Siberia have been dispatched to patrol routes as part of scheduled drills,” the ministry said.

“During combat duty at field positions, missile crews fulfilled dozens of tasks and instructions, including technical ones.”

Drivers of the vehicles and logistics personnel carried out intense maneuvering actions along patrol routes, changed field positions, and dispersed missile divisions, it added.

“Yars crews practiced engineering equipment maintenance at field positions, camouflaging techniques, and combat security measures,” the ministry said, adding that Eleron drones were employed to ensure security along the movement routes.

Yars is a mobile or stationary-based missile system equipped with a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile with a multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV).

Deployment of Yars, a modification of the Topol-M missile system, began in December 2009.