All Russian Missiles Hit Target, Kremlin: Under The Direction Of Commander-in-Chief Vladimir Putin

A screen in the control room where Presidents Putin and President Lukashenko observe Russian military exercises. (Source: Kremlin.ru)

JAKARTA - All the ballistic and cruise missiles launched during the exercises of Russia's strategic deterrence forces, which were held under the direction of the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of Russia Russian President Vladimir Putin successfully hit the designated targets, the Kremlin press office reported on its website on Saturday.

"Under the direction of the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces Vladimir Putin, the launch of the ballistic and cruise missiles was carried out during the scheduled exercises of the strategic deterrence force," the statement said.

"The tasks assigned during the strategic deterrence force exercise were completed in full, with all missiles hitting the specified targets, confirming the designed characteristics," the Kremlin press office said.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko observes the exercise of Russia's strategic deterrence forces together with President Putin from the Kremlin's situation control center.

As Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told TASS, the leaders of the two countries completed their observations of the exercise.

The strategic deterrence force exercise was planned in advance and carried out "to check the readiness of military command centers, launch combat teams, crew of battleships and strategic missile carriers to complete assigned missions and the reliability of strategic nuclear missiles and conventional forces," the Kremlin press office stressed.

As previously reported, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched drills by a strategic nuclear missile force on Saturday, while Washington said Russian troops converging near the Ukrainian border were "ready to strike".

President Putin sat watching the drills on screen together with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, from what the Kremlin describes as a 'situation control center'.

Russia's move has drawn concerns from the United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. He said the nuclear drills sparked concern among defense leaders around the world, given the Russian military's focus on a massive force build-up around Ukraine.

"When you add a very sophisticated exercise with a strategic nuclear force, it complicates things to the point that you could have an accident or an error," he said.