Putin showcases missile defence shield designed to blast US nukes out of the sky as Poland warns Russia is trying to 'reconstruct' the tsarist empire
- Russia 'successfully tested' the A-235 PL-19 Nudol missile in Kazahstan Monday
- Aims to take out missiles at a range of 250 miles, and an altitude of 31 miles
- Comes as Polish Defence Minister claims Putin aims to rebuild the tsarist empire
- Suggested President Putin plans to takeover Poland, Lithuania, Lativa, Estonia
- Russia announced the pull back of troops from the Ukrainian border last week
- Over 100,000 soldiers were deployed to the region ostensibly for a mass drill
Russia has 'successfully' tested a massive new missile designed to blast US nukes out of the sky as it continues its display of military prowess - despite announcing a partial troop pullback from areas bordering Ukraine.
The trial of the new weapon, believed to be called the A-235 PL-19 Nudol, took place at the Sary Shagan test site in Kazakhstan.
Major General Sergei Grabchuk, commander of the anti-missile defence unit of the Aerospace Forces, told Russian journalists that the anti-ballistic missile accurately hit its target.
It is designed to prevent a nuclear attack on the Kremlin and Moscow, as well as key Russian industrial regions, according to reports in Russia. The defence shield aims to take out incoming enemy missiles at a range of up to 250 miles, and an altitude of 31 miles.
Made by state-owned arms company Almaz-Antey, it has been designed to carry conventional or nuclear warheads.
Russia did not confirm the name of the missile and its development has been shrouded in secrecy.
But the test comes amid simmering tensions between Moscow and Washington after a recent build up of Russian troops on the Ukrainian border.
Russia has 'successfully' tested a massive new missile in Kazakhstan as it continues its display of its military prowess
The apparently successful test comes just after Russia announced a partial troop pullback from areas bordering Ukraine
The new missile is believed to be the A-235 PL-19 Nudol. It is designed to prevent a nuclear attack on the Kremlin and Moscow, as well as key Russian industrial regions
It comes as Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak warned Russian President Vladimir Putin was planning to re-create the tsarist empire.
Blaszczak told Polish Radio 24: 'Undoubtedly, the policy of President Putin is aimed at the reconstruction of the Russian empire'.
Recent pressure on Ukraine combined with the annexation of Crimea in 2014, hostilities in Georgia in 2008, indicated this trend, he claimed.
He later suggested the Kremlin leader was eyeing a takeover in four NATO countries including Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Like Ukraine, all were part of the Russian empire.
He quoted late Polish president Lech Kaczynski warning 'first Georgia, then Ukraine, then the Baltic states, then perhaps Poland'.
The defence minister said NATO including the presence of British troops was vital to Polish security against the perceived Russian threat.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has made a show of the country's military might in the last few weeks, amassing thousands of troops on the border with Ukraine and holding vast military drills in the same reigon
It comes as Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak (left) warned Russian President Vladimir Putin was planning to re-create the tsarist empire
The missile was made by Almaz-Antey, it is designed to carry conventional or nuclear warheads
It aims to take out incoming Western missiles at a range of up to 250 miles, and an altitude of 31 miles
'There are allied forces on NATO`s eastern flank,' he said.
'There are American troops in Poland, there are British troops, there are Romanian and Croatian troops, we are present in Latvia, we are present in Romania…
'We show that we are close, prepared and in solidarity with each other.
'In this way, we deter a potential aggressor.'
He said: 'We anticipate such activities through our activity within the North Atlantic Alliance, through our activity on missions, through modernising and equipping the Polish Army and by increasing manpower.'
Russian army cadets at the 631st Artillery Warfare Training Centre take part in 'storm of steel' drills
The drills drills involve deploying Khrizantema, Kornet-E, Vikhr and Tornado-G anti-tank missiles and Msta-S mortar launchers
Weapons tests come as Russia has announced it will withdraw troops amassed on the Ukrainian border and in the Crimean peninsula last week
The West has been closely monitoring the withdrawal of troops, who were ostensibly amassed at the border to take part in massive military drills last week
The weapons tests come as Russia has announced it will withdraw troops amassed on the Ukrainian border and in the Crimean peninsula last week.
The West has been closely monitoring the pull back of troops from the border area.
Over the weekend, MI6 head Richard Moore warned: 'The Russians are in absolutely no doubt of where the UK stands on this issue.
'And they are in absolutely no doubt of where the Biden administration stands on this issue, because channels are open.'
More footage on TV Zvezda showed the 631st Artillery Warfare Training Centre in Saratov region, a military academy where young officers were put through their paces in 'storm of steel' drills.
According to Head of Missile Forces and Artillery, Lt. Gen. Mikhail Matveyevsky, 'storm of steel' drills involve deploying Khrizantema, Kornet-E, Vikhr and Tornado-G anti-tank missiles and Msta-S mortar launchers.
The forces were shown using the Korsar (Corsair) military drones - equipped with optical and infra-red cameras and lasers - for reconnaissance.
'Our cadets spend 80 per cent of their study time in the field,' said Matveyevsky.
What was Tsarist Russia?
The Tsarist regime in Russia was founded in 1547, when Ivan IV, known as Ivan the Terrible, assumed the title of Tsar.
The next years, successive leaders sought to consolidate and expand their lands, turning the empire into a sprawling behemoth.
At its height, the empire was the third largest in the world, stretching across three continents - North America, Asia, and Europe. It was rivaled only in size by the British and Mongol empires.
It was a heavily divided society, with vast disparities between the intelligentsia, the small ruling class, and serfs, the peasants who made up more than 80 per cent of the population.
Tsar Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra of Hesse-Darmstadt, and their children Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia, and Alexei
The state functioned as an absolute monarchy, based on the doctrine of 'Orthodoxy, Autocracy, Nationality' that was handed down through the generations.
Leaders relied heavily on a secret police service, which brutally quashed attempts at dissent.
As the years wore on, however, the empire became increasingly weak, as the economy flailed and policy makers attempted to force an industrial revolution.
In 1905, a revolution forced the establishment of a nominal constitutional democracy, but the act was too little, too late.
In February 1917, Tsar Nicholas II was forced to abdicate and the Russian empire collapsed.
Months later in October 1917, the provisional government was overthrown and the Bolsheviks took power.
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