Russian President Vladimir Putin personally oversaw the launch of four nuclear-capable ballistic missiles as part of a test for Moscow's strategic nuclear forces, according to the Kremlin.



The training exercise, which was conducted Thursday evening, included the testing of land, air and submarine-based ballistic missiles, Russia's defense ministry said in a statement.

A Topol intercontinental ballistic missile was tested from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in northern Russia, hitting a target thousands of miles away at a military testing range on the Kamchatka Peninsula.



Three other intercontinental-range ballistic missiles were launched from nuclear-powered submarines.



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



In a tweet at 7:09 p.m. London time (2:09 p.m. ET) on Thursday, Russia's defense ministry posted a video that appeared to show the nuclear-capable ballistic missile tests.



Tweet 1

Last month, Russia launched two intercontinental missiles in the space of two weeks amid escalating geopolitical tensions on the Korean Peninsula.