World News for Students of English

08-11-2023 07:00

Russia’s new strategic nuclear submarine, the Imperator Alexander III, has successfully tested a Bulava intercontinental ballistic missile in the White Sea.

This missile is designed to carry multiple nuclear warheads and hit a target thousands of kilometers away on the Kamchatka peninsula. The Russian defense ministry called this missile launch the final step in the state tests, leading to the cruiser’s acceptance into the Navy. The Imperator Alexander III is the seventh in the Borei class of nuclear submarines known as the Dolgoruky class in NATO, armed with 16 Bulava missiles, each with a range of about 8,000 kilometers. This successful test comes as Russia aims to build 10 to 12 Borei-class submarines for its Northern and Pacific fleets.

In recent years, President Vladimir Putin has increased military spending and aimed to rebuild Russia’s military capabilities. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described relations with the United States as being below zero, though he suggested that contact between their leaders would eventually resume.

Difficult words: intercontinental (able to travel between continents), fleet (a group of ships sailing together), resume (to start again).

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