Russia has said that it has launched an intercontinental ballistic missile from a test site.
The footage purports to show the Russian intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) being fired from the test site.
The images were obtained from the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Wednesday, 12th April, along with a statement claiming: “A test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile was carried out from the Kapustin Yar test site.”
The Russian MoD added: “On 11th April 2023, a combat crew of the Strategic Missile Forces successfully launched an intercontinental ballistic missile of a mobile ground-based missile system from the State Central Interspecific Range Kapustin Yar in the Astrakhan Region.
“The purpose of the launch was to test advanced combat equipment of intercontinental ballistic missiles.
“This launch made it possible to confirm the correctness of the circuit design and technical solutions used in the development of new strategic missile systems.
“The training warhead of the rocket hit a conditional target at the Sary-Shagan training ground (Republic of Kazakhstan) with a given accuracy. The launch tasks were completed in full.”
We have not been able to independently verify the claims or the footage.
Russia invaded Ukraine on 24th February 2022 in what the Kremlin is still calling a “special military operation”. Today marks the 413th day of the full-scale war.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February 2022 and 12th April 2023, Russia had lost about 180,050 personnel, 3,646 tanks, 7,043 armoured combat vehicles, 2,770 artillery units, 535 multiple launch rocket systems, 282 air defence systems, 307 warplanes, 293 helicopters, 2,334 drones, 911 cruise missiles, 18 warships, 5,630 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 319 units of special equipment.
Russia has claimed that its casualties have been much lower but provides infrequent updates on its latest figures.
The leaked US defence documents have reportedly revealed that American intelligence told Ukraine in February that it might fail to have enough troops and weapons for a planned spring counteroffensive and could fall “well short” of its goals to recapture territory seized by Russia.
The leaked US military documents also reportedly indicate that the UK has deployed up to 50 special forces operatives in Ukraine and that over half of the Western special forces personnel in the country in February and March this year may have been from the United Kingdom.
The documents also reportedly revealed that Egypt was allegedly planning to covertly supply Moscow with ammunition, with President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi telling senior Egyptian military officials to keep their production and shipments secret “to avoid problems with the West”.
Senior Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak has said that his country needs more long-range weapons and “less contemplation on leaks”.
Ukrainian military spokesperson Serhii Cherevatyi has denied a claim by Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of Russia’s private military organisation Wagner, that Russian forces now control over 80 per cent of the city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine.
Cherevatyi said: “I can confidently state that the Ukrainian defence forces control a much larger percentage of the territory of Bakhmut.”
The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, said on Tuesday that Russia’s detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich will “do even more damage to Russia’s standing around the world.”
Denmark’s acting Defence Minister, Troels Lund Poulsen, has said that a Danish decision on supplying Western fighter jets to Kyiv will likely take place “before the summer”.
