Amid Ukraine Tensions, Russia Launches Ballistic Missiles In Exercises

Russia on Saturday successfully test-fired its latest hypersonic, cruise and nuclear-capable ballistic missiles as part of "planned exercises," the Kremlin said, as tensions soar over Ukraine.

"All the missiles hit their targets, confirming their performance objectives", the Kremlin said in a statement, adding that the drills included Tu-95 bombers and submarines.

"The main objective of these exercises is to perfect the performance of our strategic offensive forces, with the aim of delivering a guaranteed strike against the enemy," chief of the general staff Valery Gerasimov told Putin in televised comments.

The Russian leader watched the drills from the Kremlin's situation room with visiting Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko.

Gerasimov said the strategic drills involved two stages.

The first was to test the work of "weapons of heightened potential menace," he said.

"The second involves the sanctioned, massive use of strategic offensive weapons of the Russian Federation in case of a retaliatory strike," the general said.

The drills included Russia's Black and North Sea navies, as well as the country's strategic forces, the Kremlin said.

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