Russia on Sunday announced the successful launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads from one of its submarines. It happened only days after Russian President Vladimir Putin revoked his country’s ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.

Russia’s Ministry of Defense said the strategic missile submarine Emperor Alexander the Third fired a Bulava ICBM from an undisclosed location in the White Sea on the country’s northwest coast. The target was thousands of miles away on Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula, the Defense Ministry said on the Telegram messaging site.

“Rocket firing took place as usual from an underwater position. The rocket warheads arrived at the designated area at the appointed time,” officials said.

The Bulava, Russian for “mace,” is a submarine-launched ICBM developed in 2013 for the Kremlin’s new Borei class of ballistic missile nuclear submarines, such as the Emperor Alexander the Third. Each submarine is armed with 16 Bulava missiles, which have a range of about 5,000 miles.

Russia said it now has three Borei-class ICBM capable submarines in service and three more under construction.

“These nuclear submarines belong to the fourth generation and are part of the submarine forces of the Northern and Pacific fleets,” the defense ministry said.

The U.S. has accused Russia of turning up the heat on its nuclear rhetoric since Mr. Putin launched an invasion of neighboring Ukraine in February 2022 that has turned into a grinding, bloody war with more than 500,000 casualties.

On Thursday, Mr. Putin signed a law revoking Russia’s ratification of the 1996 Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty that outlaws all nuclear explosions, including live tests of nuclear weapons. Although the United States never ratified the treaty, it has observed a moratorium on nuclear testing since then.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Mr. Putin’s decision, “a significant step in the wrong direction.”

“Russia’s actions will only serve to set back confidence in the international arms control regime,” he said in a statement. “This continues Moscow’s disturbing and misguided effort to heighten nuclear risks and raise tensions as it pursues its illegal war against Ukraine.”

The Kremlin said Mr. Putin’s decision to withdraw ratification of the test ban treaty doesn’t mean it will resume testing. Mr. Blinken said it was essential to “preserve the global norm” against nuclear tests.

“We urge Moscow to hold to those statements,” Mr. Blinken said. “We reiterate our commitment to our zero-yield nuclear explosive testing moratorium, which has been in place for 30 years.”

• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.