Russia test-fired on Wednesday a Cold War-era long-range missile, originally designed to be capable of hitting the United States, local media reported. The Voyevoda intercontinental ballistic missile - codenamed SS-18 Satan in the West - hurtled more than 6,000 km (3,700 miles) to its target in Russia's Far East from a launch site in the Ural mountains.
It was the first time the missile, capable of carrying 10 nuclear warheads, had been launched on Russian soil since 1991, the year the Soviet Union collapsed.
Previous launches had been from the Baikonour cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, which Russia rents from its ex-Soviet neighbour.
"The successful launch confirmed the principal technical characteristics of the missiles, which account for a significant share of the Strategic Missile Forces potential," Interfax news agency quoted Colonel-General Nikolai Solovtsov as saying.
Itar-Tass news agency reported the missile was likely to be in service for a further 10-15 years.
Russia has frequently tested its vast Soviet-era missiles arsenal, keen to keep them in service for as long as possible while the armed forces struggle to find cash to buy modern arms.
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