MOSCOW, May 23 (UPI) -- Russian military leaders said a new missile successfully tested Wednesday challenges U.S. efforts to put up a missile shield in Eastern Europe.
The missile hit a target on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia's Far East after traveling across the country, The New York Times reported. The test was carried out two weeks after Vladimir Putin returned to the presidency following his four years as prime minister.
Russian generals described the missile as having a shorter launch time because of a new kind of fuel. That would make it more difficult to intercept.
The United States says the interception system is designed to protect Europe from potential attacks by Iran or North Korea. But Russian leaders have described it as an effort to revive the arms race.
"This is one of the technical means Russia's political and military leadership designed to answer America's global system of missile defense," said Gen. Viktor Yesin, a retired rocket forces commander.
