Europe

Russia Test-Fires Ballistic, Cruise Missiles as Putin Directs Nuclear Forces Drills

Russia conducts wide-ranging missile tests after announcing progress on new nuclear weapons, coinciding with the postponement of U.S.–Russia talks in Budapest.
Russia Test-Fires Ballistic, Cruise Missiles as Putin Directs Nuclear Forces Drills
A Yars intercontinental ballistic missile is test-fired from the Plesetsk launchpad on the Kamchatka peninsula in Russia on Oct. 29, 2024. Russian Defense Ministry Press Service/AP
Tom Ozimek
Tom Ozimek
Reporter
|Updated:
0:00

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Oct. 22 directed a wide-ranging exercise of the country’s strategic nuclear forces, including the test launch of intercontinental ballistic and cruise missiles. The drills followed his recent announcement that Moscow is actively developing new nuclear weapons.

The exercises involved all components of Russia’s nuclear triad: land, sea, and air, according to Russian state-owned news agency TASS. They coincided with the postponement of a planned summit between Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump in Budapest.
Tom Ozimek
Tom Ozimek
Reporter
Tom Ozimek is a senior reporter for The Epoch Times. He has a broad background in journalism, deposit insurance, marketing and communications, and adult education.
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