Putin attends massive war games off Crimea

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday observed massive military drills off the coast of Moscow-annexed Crimea that involved test launches of cruise and hypersonic missiles.

Russia's commander-in-chief was on board the cruiser Marshal Ustinov to watch the joint drills by the Northern and Black Sea Fleets, the Kremlin said. He watched test launches of Kalibr (Caliber) cruise missiles and Kinzhal (Dagger) hypersonic missiles among others, the Kremlin said.

Russia annexed the peninsula of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, in a move condemned by the West that was followed by the outbreak of an insurgency in eastern Ukraine. The conflict has claimed more than 13,000 lives.