Putin personally launches 4 missiles in Russian military drill

Oct. 27 (UPI) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin himself test fired several nuclear-capable ballistic missiles during military training exercises, Moscow's government said.

The training exercises by the Russia's Strategic Nuclear Forces late Thursday included tests of land, air and submarine-based missiles, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

"The Supreme Commander launched four ballistic missiles," a Kremlin statement issued Friday said.

Three missiles were fired from submarines and one was fired from a ground station at the Plesetsk cosmodrome, north of Moscow.

The Kremlin said Putin fired them all.

The ground-fired missile struck a practice range on the Kamchatka Peninsula, in far eastern Russia, after traveling nearly the length of the entire country.

The exercise also involved aircraft that took off from three bases and launched airborne cruise missiles at ground targets hundreds of miles away.

"The training assignments were accomplished in full and all the practice targets were successfully destroyed," the ministry said.

Last month, Russia test-fired two intercontinental ballistic missiles amid tensions on the Korean Peninsula.