This article was originally published by Michael Snyder at The Economic Collapse Blog. 

You only practice for something if you think that there is a decent chance that it will actually happen.  This week, two “tests” will be conducted that sound rather ominous.  The first of these “tests” will happen in Russia on Tuesday.  Vladimir Putin has ordered the very first “nationwide nuclear attack exercise” in the entire history of his country, and that is making headlines all over the globe…

Russia will stage its first nationwide nuclear attack exercise across 11 time zones in preparation for potential nuclear war.

It is scheduled to take place on October 3 and will see Vladimir Putin’s regime present the West as a nuclear aggressor.

If Vladimir Putin was entirely convinced that there was zero chance that a nuclear war would happen, he would not have ordered these drills.

Obviously, he believes that there is at least a remote possibility that the conflict in Ukraine could spark a nuclear war.

It is being reported that this exercise will assume “that martial law has been introduced in Russia” and that a nuclear attack by the Western powers would destroy “up to 70% of Russian housing”…

The one-day nuclear attack exercise, which has only ever been done region by region, will include preparation for the destruction of up to 70% of Russian housing stock and life support facilities.

It will assume the scenario that martial law has been introduced in Russia and that is has gone through full mobilisation.

But that doesn’t mean that most of the Russian population would die during such an attack.

Russia has more than 16,000 nuclear shelters, and some of them can hold vast numbers of people.

Here in the United States, we have one.  It is in the Seattle area, and at the time it was built it could hold about 200 people…

In November 1962, only a month after the Cuban Missile Crisis, excavation of a shelter in Seattle began.

It was expected to be the first of several fallout shelters across the U.S., but ended up being the only one built in the country.

The May 15, 1962, Seattle Times identified the structure as “the nation’s first fallout shelter to be built into a freeway.”

And of course the U.S. is not likely to hold a “nationwide nuclear attack exercise” any time soon, because our leaders have fooled themselves into thinking that the Russians would never dare fire their missiles at us.

But just last week thousands of Russians were involved in extensive nuclear combat drills…

The combat drills took place in the Sverdlovsk region on Thursday and saw 3,000 Tagil Rocket Division soldiers being trained on the “highest degrees of combat readiness”, according to RadarOnline.com.

Video footage of the nuclear missile division’s combat drills was shown on the Russian defense ministry TV channel, Zvezda.

The clip shows thousands of soldiers training and Yars thermonuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles, feared throughout the world because of their massive 6,835-mile range.

If both sides continue to escalate matters in Ukraine, this is where things are eventually heading, and the Russians realize this.

Unfortunately, our leaders in the Western world just don’t seem to get it.

If push comes to shove, the Russians will use their nuclear weapons.

In fact, many prominent voices inside Russia are already encouraging Vladimir Putin to go in that direction.  Here is just one example…

The rhetoric was raised by loyalist MP and army commander Lt-Gen Andrei Gurulev who demanded Putin be ready to use nuclear weapons.

‘Our strategic capability is our [nuclear triad],’ he said.

‘This is what is designed for the landmass of the United States of America. This is specifically for them.

‘And they know very well that after that there will be no United States of America. We 100% inflict an unacceptable defeat on the USA. They know that.’

If our leaders had any sense, they would be looking for a peaceful way out of this mess while it is still possible.

Because Ukraine is not going to defeat Russia, and the Russians are not going to back down.

Last week, it was being reported that Putin has decided to bring in another 130,000 conscripts…

Russian President Vladimir Putin is calling up 130,000 conscripts for military service this fall, increasing the age limit of conscripts from 27 to 30, according to a document posted on the Russian government website on Friday.

Russia’s lower house of parliament voted last July to raise the age for conscripts, and that legislation will take effect on January 1, 2024. Putin said earlier this month that he is bracing for a long war with Ukraine as Russia’s armed forces press on with their “special military operation” in Ukraine, now in its 20th month.

We are rapidly approaching a point of no return with Russia, and so we should sit down and talk while we still can.

The second ominous event that I wanted to discuss is the “Nationwide Emergency Alert Test” that will happen just one day after the Russians conduct their “nationwide nuclear attack exercise”.  On Wednesday afternoon, televisions, radios, and phones all over the entire country will suddenly come alive at 2:20 PM Eastern time…

Get ready to not freak out. On Wednesday, Oct. 4 at 2:20 p.m. EDT, every TV, radio and cellphone in the United States should blare out the distinctive, jarring electronic warning tone of an emergency alert.

It’s a test – only a test.

Officially, the trial is called the Nationwide Emergency Alert Test. You know it’s a test and not an actual emergency because it’s accompanied by an explanation of the test.

Even if your phone is set to silent mode, you will still hear a very loud alarm…

The alerts include a series of loud alarms meant to attract attention. These will go off even if devices are set to silent mode. The test will last for about one minute on radio and television, and cellphones should receive the alert within a half-hour of the test starting.

The test system will broadcast a message reading, “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.” A translated message will be delivered for those whose language is set to Spanish.

So does this mean that something really bad will happen on Wednesday?

Probably not.

They are telling us that it is just a test, and hopefully, that is all it is.

But they are obviously practicing because they believe that there is a reason to do so.

We live at a time when one bad thing is going to happen after another.

This summer, Hawaii was devastated by wildfires, a massive tropical storm hit California, and Hurricane Idalia caused an enormous amount of damage in Florida.

Even if a major disaster does not occur this week, the truth is that it is just a matter of time before we get hammered with more major disasters.

But some disasters are avoidable.  Hopefully, our leaders will pull us back from the brink of nuclear war with Russia, because that really would mean the end of our society as we know it today.

Michael’s new book entitled “End Times” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.

About the Author: My name is Michael and my brand new book entitled “End Times” is now available on Amazon.com.  In addition to the new book I have written six other books that are available on Amazon.com including “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”. (#CommissionsEarned)  When you purchase any of these books you help to support the work that I am doing, and one way that you can really help is by sending copies as gifts to family and friends.  Time is short, and I need help getting these warnings into the hands of as many people as possible.  I have also started a brand new Substack newsletter, and I encourage you to subscribe so that you won’t miss any of my articles.  I have published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream, and The Most Important News, and the articles that I publish on those sites are republished on dozens of other prominent websites all over the globe.  I always freely and happily allow others to republish my articles on their own websites, but I also ask that they include this “About the Author” section with each article.  The material contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and readers should consult licensed professionals before making any legal, business, financial, or health decisions.  I encourage you to follow me on social media on Facebook and Twitter, and anyway that you can share these articles with others is definitely a great help.  These are such troubled times, and people need hope.  John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  If you have not already done so, I strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today.