Russian nuclear forces complete large-scale drill

Russia's Strategic Nuclear Forces ended a large-scale command drill on Saturday, the Kremlin said. President Vladimir Putin, the supreme commander-in-chief of Russian armed forces, on Friday participated in the exercises and directly controlled the testing of the automated communications control system, his spokesman Dmitry Peskov told local media on Saturday. The command drill of the nuke forces, the largest in its recent history, also included combat training launches of strategic and cruise missiles, Peskov added. All components of the nuclear forces, including the long-range air forces, the sea and the ground forces, participated in the drill. As part of the drill, Russian Strategic and Space Forces on Friday tested an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Topol, the Defense Ministry confirmed. Topol RS-12M (SS-25 "Sickle" by NATO classification) was launched from Plesetsk space center in Northern Russia, with its warhead hitting the target on Kamchatka Peninsula in the Far East, according to the ministry's spokesman Vadim Koval.