The Russian army announced today, Sunday, a successful test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile designed to carry nuclear warheads from a new nuclear submarine.

The report comes amid escalating tensions between Russia and the West over the fighting in Ukraine, and what increased these tensions is that President Vladimir Putin signed last week a draft law canceling Russia's ratification of a global nuclear test ban, a step Moscow said was necessary to achieve parity with the United States.

The Russian Ministry of Defense said in a statement that the strategic missile cruiser "Emperor Alexander 3" launched a "Bulava" missile from an underwater site in the northern Russian White Sea, and hit a target in the Kamchatka region in the far east of the country. It was not immediately clear from the statement when the test launch occurred.

The "Emperor Alexander 3" is one of the new nuclear submarines of the Borei class, each carrying 16 Bulava missiles, and aims to be the main naval component of the country's nuclear forces in the coming decades. According to the Ministry of Defense, the ballistic missile launch is the ship's final test, after which a decision should be made regarding its joining of the fleet.

The Ministry of Defense said the Russian Navy currently has three Borei-class submarines in service, one more nearing the completion of tests, and three others under construction.