THIS is the chilling moment Russia’s nuke war sirens howled across the entire country as Vladimir Putin staged a dramatic nationwide alert test while rattling the nuclear sabre.
Across 11 time zones, from the Arctic wilds of Yamal-Nenets to the streets of Moscow, loudspeakers erupted with eerie wails followed by grim instructions.
East2WestRussian today staged a nationwide test of emergency sirens to be used in the case of war or the threat of nuclear, chemical or biological hazards[/caption]
GettySome residents found the test unsettling, while others reported issues with clarity or audibility[/caption]
Sirens blared from Moscow (pictured) all the way across the country’s 11 time zonesEast2West
Russians were told what to do if the sirens are sounded for real, for example to alert on the start of war or a missile strike or a freak weather incident.
They should “remain calm and don’t panic”, “turn on the TV, or any public access channel, or radio and listen for an information announcement”.
TV and radio broadcasts were abruptly cut for a minute as the state ran its doomsday drill.
In the remote north Yamal-Nenets autonomous region, the warning blared: “Attention! The integrated emergency warning system is being tested!”
But the rehearsal rattled nerves.
One shaken resident said: “First the siren blared, and only then did they announce over the loudspeaker that it was a drill and to remain calm.”
Another fumed: “Why are they scaring people so much for no reason? I’m already so anxious.”
And some couldn’t even understand the message, with one persons saying: “You can hear the sirens, but what the announcer says next is completely incomprehensible.
“You can’t make out a single word.”
In Moscow, some claimed they heard nothing at all.
Meanwhile, in Volgograd and Krasnodar, the wail was swallowed by traffic noise.
But state TV channel Zvezda coolly insisted it was just business as usual, announcing: “A scheduled test of the warning systems was conducted.
“Radio and TV broadcasts were also suspended for one minute.”
Independent outlet Mash tried to calm panic, saying: “Sirens are still sounding in cities, but don’t be alarmed. Everything is fine. This is planned work.”
APPutin’s nuke drill included instructions for citizens on what to do during real emergencies[/caption]
ReutersSmoke rises over Kyiv after Russian drone and missile strikes[/caption]
AFPDestroyed buildings and burning cars at the site of an air attack at an undisclosed location in the Kyiv region[/caption]
The timing is no accident. The Kremlin is loudly warning of “threats from the West” — and it comes just as Putin ordered his biggest military call-up in nearly a decade.
This week the Russian tyrant signed a decree conscripting 135,000 young men aged 18–30 for “routine service” between October and December — the largest autumn draft since 2016.
Moscow insists the recruits won’t be sent to Ukraine, but analysts say that promise has been broken before.
Once trained, these men are a phone call away from the front.
It’s part of Putin’s drive to push the Russian army to 1.5 million troops – even as Western intelligence estimates over one million Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded since the full-scale invasion began in 2022.
On state TV, Putin struck his usual defiant tone.
He boasted: “Our fighters and commanders go on the attack, and the entire country… is waging this righteous battle.
“Together we are defending our love for the Motherland… we are fighting and we are prevailing.”
Putin’s hybrid war on Europe
VLADIMIR Putin isn’t just fighting in Ukraine — he’s waging a shadow war across Europe.
The Kremlin is testing NATO’s resolve with drone incursions, airspace violations and cyberattacks, while pumping propaganda to fracture Western unity.
This month alone, Russian drones buzzed Danish and Norwegian military bases, breached Polish skies in “choreographed” swarms, and fighter jets trespassed into Estonian airspace.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warns Moscow is “checking Europe’s capacity to protect its skies” — a dry run for wider aggression.
Hybrid warfare is Putin’s playbook: mix military threats, covert sabotage, disinformation and energy blackmail to intimidate neighbours without triggering all-out war.
Western officials fear these tactics could pave the way for a strike beyond Ukraine if Europe looks weak or divided.
Analysts say the Kremlin wants to destabilise NATO’s eastern flank, sap European support for Kyiv and force the West into concessions.
With Russia’s army expanding to 1.5 million troops and its drones ranging deep into allied airspace, Europe is on high alert.