Today in terrible timing: Russia carries out a pre-planned test of an intercontinental ballistic missile

Central Press/Getty Images

Today in terrible timing: Russia carries out a pre-planned test of an intercontinental ballistic missile
(Image credit: Central Press/Getty Images)

Days after sending troops into Crimea and stoking fears of a possible armed conflict over the sovereignty of Ukraine, the Russian military on Tuesday confirmed it had test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile called the Topol RS-12M. Russia said the missile, which can carry a nuclear warhead, successfully hit its target in Kazakhstan.

The test was pre-planned, though the timing — coming as U.S. officials denounced Russia's military incursion and warned it to pull back its troops — was rather unfortunate.

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Jon Terbush

Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.