Moscow, Mar 29 (IANS): Russia's Strategic Missile Forces on Wednesday launched a large-scale command-and-staff exercise that will involve the Yars intercontinental ballistic missile system along with more than 3,000 servicemen, the Defence Ministry said.

"The exercise will involve over 3,000 servicemen and about 300 pieces of military hardware. A commission of the Strategic Missile Forces' command will assess cohesion among the personnel fulfilling their tasks," the Ministry said in a statement.

The Omsk Missile Formation and the Novosibirsk Missile Formation, equipped with Yars mobile launchers, will participate in the exercise, Xinhua news agency quoted the statement as saying.

The servicemen of the Strategic Missile Forces would carry out a complex of measures to train concealment and counter-measures against modern aerial survey systems, it added.

The RS-24 Yars, a modification of the Topol-M missile, is Russia's strategic missile system armed with a solid-propellant intercontinental ballistic missile.

It reportedly has an operational range of up to 12,000 km and can carry multiple nuclear warheads.

Maneuvers will take place on the territory of three Russian regions.