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Ear-splitting sirens blared across Russia and school children donned gas masks during terrifying nationwide drills to test Russians’ readiness for a potential nuclear war.
As part of the exercise that started Tuesday and continued Wednesday, TV and radio stations interrupted their regular programming to broadcast a notice saying: “Attention everyone! The readiness of the public warning system is being tested! Please remain calm!”
At the same time, a similar announcement made in a stern male voice boomed from loudspeakers across Russia, demanding “Attention everyone!”
“The readiness of warning systems is being checked, please remain calm,” the speaker barked.
Video purportedly shot at a Russian school showed children assembled in a gym being taught the proper way to put on a gas mask in case of an attack.
Additional footage captured emergency responders in hazmat gear and protective masks practicing evacuation procedures by carrying a dummy on a stretcher while accompanied by K9 dogs.
Elsewhere, workers in creepy gray suits, dark shades and masks were shown sticking signs into the ground by the side of a road.
Russian media reported the exercise’s scenario mentions the increasing danger of a conflict between nuclear powers and simulates a response to a situation in which 70% of homes and all crucial infrastructure have been destroyed, wide areas contaminated by radioactive fallout and a general mobilization announced.
“When you hear the sound of a siren, you need to remain calm and not panic, turn on the TV — any publicly accessible channel or radio — and listen to the information message,” the Ministry of Emergency Situations said in a statement addressing the drills.
“The warning system is designed to timely convey a signal to the population in the event of a threat or emergency of a natural or man-made nature.”
The chilling narrative goes hand in hand with President Vladimir Putin’s repeated claims that Western support for Ukraine has escalated the threat of a direct confrontation between Russia and NATO countries.
Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, has incessantly warned of the growing threat of a nuclear war in his unhinged social media posts.
Blasting Western officials who talk about increasing military support for Kyiv, Medvedev declared over the weekend that “those imbeciles are actively pushing us to World War III.”
The emergency drills occurred just hours after the Russian defense ministry claimed to have shot down 31 Ukrainian drones over border regions.
“Attempts by the Kyiv regime to carry out terrorist attacks on targets on the territory of the Russian Federation were stopped,” officials wrote on Telegram.
Coincidentally, the US federal government on Wednesday tested its Emergency Alert System, designed to allow the president to speak to the American people within 10 minutes in case of a national emergency via radio and television.
It will also send test messages to cellphone customers, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
With Post wires
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