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Russia test-fires ballistic missiles from nuclear submarine

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – Russia has confirmed that it successfully test-fired four intercontinental ballistic missiles from a nuclear submarine on Saturday, the Washington Times reports.

In a statement the Russian Defense Ministry reported that four Bulava missiles were launched from the Vladimir Monomakh submarine of the Pacific Fleet from underwater in the Sea of Okhotsk, the Washington Times said.

The missiles’ dummy warheads hit their targets on the Chiza shooting range in the Arkhangelsk region in northwestern Russia, the defense ministry reported.

The exercise on Saturday followed a wide range of drills carried out by Russian strategic forces on Wednesday. The Washington Times reports that: “As part of [Wednesday’s] maneuvers, a Russian nuclear submarine performed a practice launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile from the Barents Sea, a ground-based ICBM was launched from the Plesetsk facility in northwestern Russia and Tu-160 and Tu-95 strategic bombers fired cruise missiles at test targets at an Arctic range.”

The recent launches were carried out just weeks before the New START US-Russian arms control treaty expires in February 2021. So far, the respective governments have been unable to negotiate an extension that is acceptable to both sides, the Washington Times said. Agreed in 2010, New START restricts each country to 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads and 700 deployed missiles and bombers with on-site inspections to check on compliance.