Putin oversees test firing of ballistic missiles: Kremlin

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday oversaw ballistic missile drills remotely, the Kremlin said, hours after Russia moved to revoke its ratification of a landmark nuclear test ban treaty.

Moscow´s defence minister Sergei Shoigu also said Russia´s forces would also be practising a “massive” retaliatory nuclear strike. The drills came 20 months into Moscow´s Ukraine offensive -- which has raised some fears of nuclear war -- and hours after Russia moved to revoke a key nuclear arms control treaty.

“Under the leadership of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian armed forces, Vladimir Putin, a training exercise was conducted with the forces and equipment of ground, sea and air components of nuclear deterrent forces,” the Kremlin said in a statement. “During the training, practical launches of ballistic and cruise missiles took place.” It said one of the missiles was fired from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in the Russian north and that another missile was fired from a nuclear-powered submarine in the Barents Sea.