Putin flexes muscles in missile test hours after Black Sea ceasefire agreement

Vladimir Putin is flexing his muscles in the Sea of Japan just hours after setting conditions for a Black Sea ceasefire with Ukraine.

The Kremlin launched several powerful Kalibr missiles from its attack submarine, hitting a target in Ukraine more than 620miles away.

The drill came only a few hours after Russia set a number of conditions before going ahead with a ceasefire in the Black Sea, amid ongoing tumultuous talks involving the US to try and bring about a longer-term ceasefire.

But in case the world forgot about Russia’s military might, its Ministry of Defence said missiles fired from the Ufa diesel-electric submarine hit its target in the Khabarovsk region, as well as a surface target in the Sea of Japan.

Admiral Alexander Moiseyev, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, praised the submarine’s crew for the success of the missile launch.

Yesterday’s peace talks in Saudi Arabia, brokered by the White House, concluded when Russia agreed to ‘ensure safe navigation, eliminate the use of force, and prevent the use of commercial vessels for military purposes in the Black Sea.’

Putin’s Pacific Fleet submarine Ufa launched Kalibr cruise missiles during exercises in the Sea of Japan (Picture: MoD Russia/east2west news)

Ukraine’s defence minister Rustem Umerov said Ukraine has also agreed to the ceasefire.

However, among other demands Putin ordered for sanctions to be lifted on Rosselkhozbank and other banks involved in food trade, trade finance operations, and food and fertiliser exporters.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the White House for its help in brokering the deal, but said Russia must now ‘prove’ it is ready to end the war.

He added: ‘How Russia behaves in the coming days will show a lot, if not everything.

‘If there are air alerts again, if there is military activity in the Black Sea again, if there are Russian manipulations and threats again, then new measures will have to be taken – specifically against Moscow.

A Kalibr cruise missile (Picture: east2west news)

‘Diplomacy must work. We, on the Ukrainian side, are doing everything we can to achieve this.

‘I want to thank everyone who is helping us. Thank you to America for the fact that our teams are working constructively and effectively.

‘We need results from Russia. We don’t believe them.

‘The world really doesn’t believe Russia. And they must prove that they are ready to end the war and are ready not to lie to the world, not to lie to Trump, not to lie to America.’

The Russian Navy says the missile struck its target more than 600 miles away (Picture: MoD Russia/east2west news)

Meanwhile US president Donald Trump, who had previously claimed he could end the Russia-Ukraine war in one day, admitted that Putin could be trying to delay a ceasefire.

He told Newsmax: ‘I think that Russia wants to see an end to it, but it could be they’re dragging their feet. I’ve done it over the years.

‘I think Russia would like to see it end and I think Zelensky would like to see it end, at this point.’

The Ufa submarine (Picture: MoD Russia/east2west news)

The agreement is a sharp turn from earlier this week when Vladimir Putin tried to sink a container ship reportedly carrying a cargo of weapons destined for Ukraine.

Two Iskander-M ballistic missiles were unleashed on a Black Sea port in the southern city of Odesa where the vessel had arrived after making a stop in Turkey. 

Facilities at the three Black Sea ports around the city have been frequent Russian targets in the three-year-long war.

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