Yars nuclear-missile test from Plesetsk
The launch was expected and comes less than a day after Putin bragged about Russia’s nuclear weapons capabilities in his annual state of the nation speech.
“The purpose of the launch was to confirm the tactical, technical and flight characteristics of this modern missile system,” the Ministry of Defense said on Friday.
Yars, also known as the RS-24, is a missile carried by a mobile vehicle. It flies ballistic, can carry multiple warheads and have intercontinental range.
Not confirmed by independent sources, but the Defense Ministry claims the mock warhead hit its planned target on the Kura range on the Kamchatka Peninsula.
In his propagandistic speech to the Federation Council on February 29, Vladimir Putin sent warnings to the West. “We also have weapons that can hit targets on their territory. This really threatens a conflict with nuclear weapons, and thus the destruction of civilisation.”
The mobile Yars system is a core part of Russia’s nuclear triad.
