The road-launched intercontinental Yars missiles were tested in a forest in western Siberia. With a range of 7,500 miles, the weapons are capable of striking Britain or anywhere in Europe. The tests were performed hours after Russia’s former president and current head of the Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, issued a nuclear threat.
Mr Medvedev warned of the end of the “existence of mankind” if Moscow is punished for war crimes. A statement from the Russian defence ministry said: “Over 100 pieces of hardware are taking part in the exercise”.
It added its troops are trained in killing mock saboteurs, reconnoitring the launch area, and in passing through “contaminated” areas. Putin had already put his nuclear forces on alert and continues to threaten the West with nuclear warfare.
The tyrant’s cruel and illegal invasion has seen a string of alleged war crimes. These include the repeated shelling of civilians, accounts of rape and torture, summary executions and use of banned cluster munitions.
Mr Medvedev today warned the International Criminal Court (ICC) should refrain from attempting “legally void” actions against Russia.
He said on Telegram today: “The idea of punishing the country that has the largest nuclear potential is absurd in itself. And potentially threatens the existence of mankind.”
The defence minister then proceeded to deflect the accusations towards the US. He accused Biden’s administration of trying to “sow chaos and destruction” via the ICC, branding them a “daredevil or an idiot”.
He added the United States wants to put Moscow in front of international tribunals, while itself never facing punishment for its own wars, adding: “America has killed more than 20 million people in 37 countries since the end of World War II, according to a study published in Global Research.”
Continuing the Kremlin’s strategy of accusing opposing nations of Nazism despite themselves presiding over a dictatorship, Mr Medvedev added: “’The number of victims of the criminal policy of the United States today is comparable to the victims of the Nazi regime.”
The defence minister then appeared to issue a direct threat to the US, saying: “But the United States and their useless mongrels should remember the words of Scripture: ‘Judge not, lest you be judged; So that one day ‘the great day of His wrath will not come to their house, and who can stand?”
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Since Putin sent troops into Ukraine on February 24, Medvedev has regularly taken to social media to lash out at the West and those critical of Moscow. Last month, he called those who “hate” Russia, “degenerates” and vowed to work to “make them disappear.”
He also warned any encroachment on the Crimea peninsula by a NATO member-state could amount to a declaration of war which could lead to “World War Three”.
He added that if Finland and Sweden joined NATO, Russia would be ready for “retaliatory steps” – and that could include installing Iskander hypersonic missiles “on their threshold”.
Britain is sending a police officer and seven lawyers to The Hague to help support investigations into war crimes at the International Criminal Court. The UK and Norway will also deliver “war crimes investigation training” to Ukrainian police.