Russia's military has begun exercises with a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile system.

The country's defense ministry announced on Wednesday that the drills involve the Strategic Missile Forces in Siberia's Novosibirsk.

The ministry says more than 3,000 service members conduct maneuvers in three regions to operate the Yars ICBM systems.

The Yars system, with a reported operational range of over 10,000 kilometers, is said to have been developed to counter the US missile defense system.

The drills are seen to be aimed at demonstrating Russia's nuclear capability to the US and other countries which are stepping up their military support for Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced a plan to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, Russia's ally.

Belarus's foreign ministry said that the country decided to host Russian weapons.

Putin is scheduled to hold a meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on April 6 about boosting bilateral cooperation.

Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that the leaders may talk about security issues, suggesting a discussion on tactical nuclear weapons.

Also on Tuesday, a senior US government official said Washington had decided to stop providing Russia with information on strategic nuclear weapons.
The official cited Moscow's failure to comply with the New START nuclear arms control treaty.

In February, Russia unilaterally declared that it would put the nuclear treaty on hold.

The US official explained that Russia had not been in full compliance and refused to share data, and Washington decided to likewise not share that data.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov on Wednesday criticized the US measure. He told a Russian state-run news agency that Washington has shifted its responsibility onto Russia.