Russia test fires long-range missiles

RUSSIA test fired three long-range missiles yesterday and pronounced its nuclear deterrent strong in a show of force that experts said had not been seen since the days of the Cold War.

Two of the missiles were fired from nuclear submarines in the Asian and European extremes of the sprawling country, while a third was watched by President Dmitry Medvedev in north-west Russia.

It was the second Russian intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test in as many days and the latest in a series of military exercises of conventional land, sea and air forces as well as strategic nuclear units.