Putin Orders New Missile Tests

Russian President Vladimir Putin told his defense chief today to repeat missile tests that failed last month, Gateway to Russia reported today (see GSN, Feb. 18).

On Feb. 17, two missiles failed to launch from a submarine in the Barents Sea, and the next day, a missile veered off course after launching from another submarine.

Putin appeared at the highly publicized military exercises, which were widely seen as an attempt to revive the image of Russia’s cash-strapped military, according to Gateway to Russia.

“I task you to prepare as soon as possible new exercises, perhaps on a smaller scale, so I could make sure that all mistakes have been fixed,” Putin told acting Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov, according to Itar-Tass (Gateway to Russia, March 1).

Back to top
About Newswire  |  Contact National Journal  |  Re-Use Guidelines © Copyright 2008 by National Journal Group, Inc. The material in this section is produced independently for NTI by National Journal Group, Inc. Any reproduction or retransmission, in whole or in part, is a violation of federal law and is strictly prohibited without the consent of the National Journal Group, Inc. All rights reserved.