This is a big show here, and a legitimate question is “Why?” Although, in all honesty, this time of year is a favorite for Russian to parade the goods in any event.

…Russia is building up to more nuclear showboating as it marks the annual Strategic Missile Forces Day on 17 December.

But rolling out a carriage and ratcheting it up to stuffing the silo on it seems to lean a bit hard on messaging. Is it in answer to yesterday’s leaks about the Ukrainians getting Patriot missile batteries – although as yet unconfirmed by the Pentagon/approved by the White House? Or is it a warning flew to the Ukrainians themselves that Putin is tired of them hitting him when and where he least expects it? Schmaybe a healthy dose of both?

In any event, there are two schools of thought, reaction-wise, to the news.

The first is a little on the dramatic reading side…

…while the second is a tad humorous, as the NY Post’s witty headlines are wont to be.

A Russian missile force officer noted this was a drill, but meant to send a message.

Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin has reasserted his nuclear threat against the West by appearing to prepare for combat use a massive nuclear missile that is capable of hitting both the US and UK.

Footage released Wednesday shows the installation of a massive Russian Yars rocket into a silo at the Kozelsk military compound in the Kaluga region southwest of Moscow.

…In October, amid high tensions over the war with Ukraine, Putin oversaw the launch of a similar Yars missile to test Russia’s response to a possible nuclear attack.

…Missile force commander Col. Alexi Sokolov said the latest drill was meant to send a message to the West, since both the US and Europe are within the missile’s range.

“The importance of this operation lies in the fact that the missile will be put on combat duty on schedule,” he said.

So the drill part was getting the silo out to the site and setting the whole shebang up. They won’t be drilling while taking it down – it’ll be staying right where it is.

Just a week ago, Putin was in an interview where he was asked about nuclear weapons, and he was as cold and disingenuous as ever with his answers.

“…However, our strategy is to consider nuclear weapons, and they are weapons of mass destruction, as a means of protection.”

YARS missiles already had the range to hit the U.S. but prior to a 2019 planned upgrade, the warheads’ re-entry vehicles (multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles or MIRVs) weren’t maneuverable at hypersonic speeds, which is now the terrifying option for first-strike weapons in this day and age. Is this one of those upgraded weapons?

…In 2019 the Avangard re-entry vehicle was declared operational. It is launched on top of the missile, but unlike a regular warhead that follows a predictable path, the Avangard travels at hypersonic speed and can make sharp maneuvers. This makes it much harder to intercept. It was planned that in 2019 a total of 31 Yars missiles will be equipped with Avangard hypersonic gliding re-entry vehicles and will be deployed operationally.

The Yars was designed to evade missile defense systems. This missile maneuvers during the flight and carries both active and passive decoys. It is estimated that it has at least 60-65% chance to penetrate defenses.

I’d rather not find out.

Could sure use some adults in charge right about now.