Putin test-fires nuclear-capable missiles (VIDEO)

Russian President and Supreme Commander-in-Chief of Russia’s Armed Forces Vladimir Putin took part on Thursday night in strategic nuclear forces command and control drills, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

"The exercise practiced interaction of the Strategic Missile Force, nuclear-powered submarines of the Northern and Pacific Fleets and long-range aviation of Russia’s Aerospace Force," the spokesman said.

"The supreme commander-in-chief made launches of four ballistic missiles," TASS cited Peskov as saying.

Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Thursday that a planned training exercise was held on that day to practice command and control of the Russian Strategic Nuclear Forces.

During the exercise, three intercontinental ballistic missiles were launched from the nuclear-powered submarines while one missile was test-fired from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in north Russia. All the practice targets were successfully destroyed.

As the Russian Defense Ministry reported, the exercise involved strategic Tupolev Tu-160, Tu-95MS and Tu-22M3 bombers, which took off from their airbases Ukrainka, Engels and Shaikovka, and launched airborne cruise missiles against ground targets at the practice ranges Kura (Kamchatka), Pemboi (the Republic of Komi) and Terekta (Kazakhstan).

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

The ministry added that the exercise was held in accordance with the training plan of the Russian Armed Forces.