India, May 22 -- Trucks carrying intercontinental ballistic missiles rumbled over forest roads, atomic-powered submarines set sail from Arctic and Pacific ports, and crews scrambled into warplanes as Russia and neighbouring Belarus held the final stage of their joint nuclear drills Thursday.

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko inspected Russian short-range nuclear-capable Iskander ballistic missiles at a military unit involved in the drills, declaring: "I dreamed about this machine a long time ago."

The three-day drills that began Tuesday come amid a surge in Ukrainian drone strikes, including on Moscow's suburbs that killed three people and damaged several buildings and industrial facilities.

The strikes made it harder for official...