Russia is looking into whether a North Korean nuclear missile landed in its waters during a test launch Wednesday, officials said.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko said the country’s defense ministry was probing the launch, but said “so far we have no clear information that the missile fell in Russia’s economic zone.”
The test-fire of the Hwasong-18 missile, the core of the North Korean nuclear arsenal, was a “strong practical” warning to the hermit kingdom’s enemies, including the United States, Russian state media said.
Japan, South Korea, and the US condemned the test launch, while Rudenko said the firing was a reaction to the US and its allies, which he said “actually provoke North Korea to build up its defense power.”
North Korea has been under nuclear sanctions since 2006, when the UN Security Council condemned the country’s first nuclear test and imposed strict sanctions on the heavy weaponry, missile technology and components and certain luxury goods.
However, the UN Security Council has been split over the past several years on how to deal with North Korea’s nuclear capabilities with Russia and China claiming more sanctions will only exacerbate the situation.
On Thursday, UN Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari said the missile traveled over 625 miles in about 74 minutes and crashed in the waters included in Russia’s economic zone near Japanese territory.
With Post Wires
