MOSCOW, February 19. /TASS/. All the ballistic and cruise missiles launched during Russia’s strategic deterrence force drills held under the direction of Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Forces President Vladimir Putin of Russia successfully hit the designated targets, the Kremlin’s press office reported on its website on Saturday.
"Under the direction of Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Vladimir Putin, launches of ballistic and cruise missiles were conducted during a scheduled exercise of the strategic deterrence forces," the statement says.
"The tasks assigned during the drills of the strategic deterrence forces were accomplished in full and all the missiles hit the designated targets, confirming their designed characteristics," the Kremlin’s press office stressed.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko observed Russia’s strategic deterrence force drills together with President Putin from the Kremlin’s situation control center. As Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told TASS, the leaders of both countries completed their observation of the drills.
As the Kremlin’s press office emphasized, the strategic deterrence force drills were planned in advance and were conducted "to inspect the preparedness of military command centers, launch combat teams, the crews of combat ships and strategic missile carriers for accomplishing assigned missions and the reliability of the strategic nuclear and conventional forces’ weapons."
Russia’s scheduled strategic deference force drills brought together the forces and capabilities of the Aerospace Force, the Southern Military District, the Strategic Missile Force and the Northern and Black Sea Fleets.
Successful missile launches
During the strategic deterrence force drills, Russia’s Aerospace Force successfully launched Kinzhal hypersonic aeroballistic missiles, the Kremlin’s press office reported.
"Warships and submarines of the Northern and Black Sea Fleets conducted launches of Kalibr cruise missiles and a Tsirkon hypersonic missile against naval and ground targets. At the Kapustin Yar proving ground in the Astrakhan Region, an Iskander land-based cruise missile was launched," says the statement released after the completion of the drills.
Also, a Yars intercontinental ballistic missile was launched from the launch site of the Plesetsk spaceport in Russia’s north towards the Kura proving ground on the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Russian Far East, the Kremlin’s press office said.
"The airborne cruise missiles launched from Tu-95MS strategic long-range missile-carrying bombers struck targets at the Pemboi and Kura proving grounds. A Sineva ballistic missile was launched by the Northern Fleet’s strategic nuclear-powered submarine cruiser Karelia from the Barents Sea towards the Kura proving ground," the press release says.