Russia has reportedly tested a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile capable of striking targets in the US, as concerns grow over Moscow’s military intentions and the prospect of a wider confrontation with NATO.
Russia’s defence ministry said the missile was launched from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in the north-western Arkhangelsk region and successfully reached a designated target at the Kura test site in the far-eastern Kamchatka region.
The country’s Strategic Missile Forces also conducted exercises involving the movement of a mobile ground-based missile system to a remote location before launch. The Ministry of Defence said the exercises were successful, but did not identify the missile, describing it only as “solid fuel”.
That classification includes Russia’s Topol and Yars intercontinental ballistic missiles, both of which have an estimated range of about 10,500km — sufficient to reach the continental US from Russia.
The Topol is capable of carrying a single warhead with a yield of about 800 kilotons, while the Yars can carry up to four independently targetable warheads, each with a yield of about 250 kilotons.
Estimates put Russia’s combined inventory of the two systems at about 271 missiles, comprising 78 Topols and 193 Yars. They form a significant part of Moscow’s land-based strategic nuclear arsenal, which is estimated at 321 missiles.
The missile exercise comes against a backdrop of heightened concern in Washington and European capitals over Russia’s military posture and its intentions towards NATO.
John Ratcliffe, director of the CIA, made a surprise visit to Moscow on Tuesday, his first public trip to the Russian capital, according to reports in the Wall Street Journal.
The visit came after US intelligence reportedly assessed that Russia was preparing to test NATO’s resolve, amid fears that Moscow could undertake a fresh military mobilisation connected to the war in Ukraine.
Analysts suggested that Ratcliffe may have met Vladimir Putin to deliver a warning against any such action.
The CIA director also reportedly asked Ukraine to halt strikes against targets inside Russia during his visit, according to reports.
The unusual diplomatic movement was detected after a US Air Force Boeing C-17A Globemaster III transport aircraft and a diplomatic motorcade were spotted at a Moscow airport.
The US Air Force RCH4555 flight was also tracked entering Russia from Latvia, according to flight-tracking website Flightradar24.
In a subsequent update, Flightradar24 said the “US Air Force C-17A Globemaster III flew from Riga to Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport”.
The combination of a strategic missile exercise and an unexpected senior US intelligence visit to Moscow is likely to draw close scrutiny in western capitals, particularly as Washington seeks to assess whether Russia is signalling a change in its military posture or attempting to exert pressure on the US and its European allies.
For Russia, strategic missile exercises are a longstanding component of nuclear-force readiness. But their timing, alongside heightened intelligence activity and continued fighting in Ukraine, gives the latest launch added significance as the US and its allies attempt to gauge the Kremlin’s next move.
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