Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin on Saturday, February 19 alongside his ally, Belarusian president Lukashenko watched the Russian military perform nuclear drills, while the U.S. announced that Russian forces were ‘poised to strike’ Ukraine.

The nuclear bomb drills were carried out simultaneously from the sea, land and the air.

The exercises involved the Crimea-based Black Sea Fleet. Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula after seizing it from Ukraine in 2014. .

The nuclear drills follow manoeuvres Russia’s armed forces in the past four months that have included a build-up of troops estimated the West to number 150,000 or more to the north, east and south of Ukraine.

Moscow-based analysts said Saturday’s exercises were aimed at sending a message to take Russia’s demands for security guarantees from NATO seriously.

“Ignoring Russia’s legitimate rights in this area adversely affects the stability not only on the European continent, but also in the world,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was quoted his ministry as telling France’s foreign minister byphone.