Russia test-fires intercontinental ballistic missiles from nuclear submarine amid tension with US
- The Vladimir Monomakh submarine fired four Bulava missiles in quick succession from an underwater position in the Sea of Okhotsk
- The missile launches come less than two months before a US-Russian arms control treaty expires in February
A Russian nuclear submarine on Saturday successfully test-fired four intercontinental ballistic missiles in a show of readiness of Moscow’s nuclear forces amid tension with the US.
The defence ministry said that the Vladimir Monomakh submarine of the Pacific Fleet launched four Bulava missiles in quick succession from an underwater position in the Sea of Okhotsk. Their dummy warheads hit their designated targets on the Chiza shooting range in the Arkhangelsk region in northwestern Russia, the ministry said in a statement.
The Vladimir Monomakh is one of the new Borei-class nuclear submarines that carry 16 Bulava missiles each and are intended to serve as the core of the naval component of the nation’s nuclear forces for decades to come.
Another submarine of the same type performed a similar launch of four Bulava missiles in 2018 – a costly demonstration of the efficiency of the country’s nuclear deterrent mimicking the conditions of a major nuclear conflict.
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