Russia Holds Military Drills Involving Missile Launches

Russia says it has conducted a series of missile launches from sites on the ground, at sea, and in the air as part of exercises intended to test transmitting combat orders from the top military leadership all the way down.

The Defense Ministry said on October 30 that the drills involved the launch of a Kalibr cruise missile from a ship in the Caspian Sea and of intercontinental ballistic missiles from two nuclear submarines in the Barents and Okhotsk seas.

As part of the maneuvers, Tu-160s strategic bombers launched cruise missiles at practice targets in the northern Komi region and the far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula.

A ground-based Iskander missile was fired at a target in southern Russia, while a Topol intercontinental ballistic missile was launched from northwestern Russia.

Based on reporting by AP, TASS, and Interfax