Russia's new nuclear-powered submarine Imperator Alexander III carried out a successful test launch of the Bulava ballistic missile, designed to carry nuclear warheads, the Russian defence ministry has said.
"Firing a ballistic missile is the final element of state tests, after which a decision will be made to accept the cruiser into the Navy," the defence ministry said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app.
President Vladimir Putin has been pushing for Russia to maintain its nuclear deterrent to counter what he calls growing security threats, as ties between Moscow and the West have hit new lows over the war Russia launched in Ukraine in 2022.
The intercontinental missile, launched from an underwater position in the White Sea off Russia's northern coast, hit a target thousands of kilometres away on the Kamchatka peninsula in the Russian Far East, it said.
The ministry did not say when the test occurred.
The Borei class strategic-missile cruiser is equipped with 16 Bulava missiles and modern torpedo weapons, it said.
Mr Putin took part in a ceremony in December setting the Imperator Alexander III afloat, TASS state news agency said.
The navy has three nuclear-powered submarines of the Borei class in service - one is completing tests and three more are under construction, the defence ministry said.
The 12m long Bulava missile, which has an estimated range of around 8,000km and can carry up to six nuclear warheads, has become the cornerstone in the naval part of Russia's nuclear triad.
Ukraine orders investigation into Russian attack on assault brigade
Ukraine's defence minister has ordered an investigation into an alleged Russian ballistic missile attack on Ukrainian assault brigade, after reports that more than 20 soldiers were killed during an awards ceremony.
"My condolences to the families of the fallen soldiers from the 128th Separate Mountain Assault Transcarpathian Brigade," Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov said in a social media statement, adding that he had ordered a "full investigation."
In a separate statement on the Telegram messaging app, Ukraine's Armed Forces said that Russia attacked the Zaporizhzhia region with the Iskander ballistic missile.
"Servicemen were killed, and local residents were also injured," the military said.
It was not clear how many soldiers died.
The statements came after a flurry of earlier reports on Ukrainian social media and from military bloggers that more than 20 soldiers were killed in a village close to the front lines in Zaporizhzhia during an award ceremony commemorating the Artillery Day on Friday.
In its daily reports on battlefield activities, the Russian Defence Ministry said only that Russian forces "inflicted fire" on a unit of Ukraine's assault brigade in the region, killing up to 30 military personnel.
Reuters could not independently verify the reports.
Both Russia and Ukraine have often underestimated their military casualties in the 20-month-long war, while exaggerated the losses they claim to have inflicted upon each other.
