Putin poised to stage major nuclear-capable missile test in hours as WW3 fears skyrocket

Putin could stage a major nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile test (Image: Getty)

Vladimir Putin is threatening to stage an imminent major nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile test amid high tension with the West. Residents in remote peninsula Kamchatka have been warned of a rocket smashing into the Kura test site between today [WEDS] and Sunday.

This comes as Putin prepares for his annual military parade on Red Square on Saturday and defies a Ukrainian move for a ceasefire by blitzing a kindergarten in the border region of Sumy, killing one civilian woman. The ICBM missile test is evidently seen as a show of strength to the West and Ukraine. Two US RC-135S Cobra Ball aircraft - designed to track ballistic missile tests - have been stationed in Alaska since April 22, ahead of an expected Russian test, say reports. The last time a Russian ICBM test was conducted at Kura involved a Yars missile in October 2024. Then, it was launched from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in northwestern Russia.