Nuclear missiles rolled through Red Square yesterday in a parade rehearsal as Vladimir Putin prepares to send a chilling warning to the West.
A thermonuclear armed RS-24 Yars ballistic missile – capable of hitting London or New York – was driven past rows of armed guards in Moscow during preparations for tomorrow’s Victory Day.
The national holiday is a celebration of the Soviet Union’s part in the defeat of Nazi Germany in the Second World War. Iskander short-range missiles were also driven through the capital.
MiG-29 fighters flew past in a “Z” formation, which is the symbol used by Putin’s military as a mark of its invasion of Ukraine.
The RS-24 missile, which weighs nearly 50 tons, can carry up to 10 warheads, experts reckon.
The intercontinental weapon can travel up to 15,200 mph and is capable of hitting targets up to 7,500 miles away, meaning that it could reach New York. The occasion will see Russian President Putin speak in Red Square before a parade involving his troops, tanks, rockets and missiles.
Yet British intelligence yesterday claimed Moscow’s war in Ukraine is “taking a heavy toll on some of Russia’s most capable units and its most advanced capabilities”.
The briefing added: “It will take considerable time and expense for Russia to reconstitute its armed forces following this conflict.”
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