Russia Ratchets Up Tensions with ICBM Test Fire

On Tuesday afternoon, Russia test fired an intercontinental ballistic missile amid escalating tensions between Moscow and the West following Russia’s military intervention in the Ukrainian Crimean Peninsula.

The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the test of a RS-12 M missile. American officials confirmed the launch of the ICBM and said the pre-planned maneuver was consistent with the protocols of the latest START Treaty.

They also confirmed that they were notified of the test prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukrainian territory.

The missile which was fired over the Caspian Sea landed in Sary-Shagan range in Kazakhstan. “We’re not concerned,” said a U.S. official told ABC News.

h/t ABC News

[Photo via Grigory Dukor/Reuters]

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