MOSCOW: Russian defense ministry on Sunday said that its rocket forces have loaded a new Yars intercontinental ballistic missile into a silo at the Kozelsk base in the Kaluga region, western media reported.
The 23-metre-long RS-24 (Yars) missile can carry multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles (MIRVs) to deliver multiple nuclear warheads at different targets.
The defense ministry in a statement said the Strategic Missile Forces loaded a Yars intercontinental ballistic missile into a silo launcher at the Kozelsky compound.
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The defense ministry also released a clip of the giant missile being transported to a silo and loaded into a shaft.
Reportedly, Russia possesses largest arsenal of world’s nuclear weapons, followed by the United States. Together, Russia and the United States control more than 90% of the world’s nuclear arsenal.
According to the Federation of American Scientists, Russia has about 5,889 nuclear warheads while the United States has about 5,244. Russia and the United States each have about 1,670 strategic nuclear warheads deployed on different fronts.
