Putin blushes: Kremlin forced to search for North Korean missile in Russian waters

Russian President Vladimir Putin may have to clean up after his dictator Kim Jong-un; it was recently reported that Kremlin officials were searching for a North Korean nuclear missile in Russian waters. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko said a search is underway in Russian waters for the wreckage of a nuclear missile fired from North Korea's latest Hwasong-18 rocket launch. He said the Kremlin had "no precise information that the missile fell in Russia's economic zone," Reuters reported, citing the TASS and RIA news agencies. Russian state media said North Korea's missile launch was a "strong practical" warning to the United States over its alleged meddling in Asia. The ballistic missile launch also threatened South Korea and Japan, two of North Korea's strategic adversaries and the West's main regional allies. On Wednesday, North Korea conducted its first test of an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile in three months after repeated threats to shoot down U.S. spy planes over the Hermit Kingdom. The Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile tested by North Korea is believed to be harder to detect and intercept than its older liquid-fuel ICBMs. The long-range missile was launched near Pyongyang at about 10 a.m., traveled about 620 miles at a maximum altitude of 3,730, and fell at an undisclosed location between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. The missile test drew sharp condemnation from North Korea's rivals, with South Korea calling it a "serious provocation" by its totalitarian neighbor. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said North Korea's test posed a repeated "threat to the peace and security of Japan, the region, and the international community." North Korea has conducted dozens of ICBM tests since 2017 to develop a nuclear weapon capable of hitting U.S. cities. But it has never produced a single ICBM with the necessary technology and range. Nevertheless, Kim Jong-un claims that his new Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile allows North Korea to "counterattack" the United States. Kim Jong Un's sister Kim Yo Jong also warned the United States that a "shocking incident" is imminent and claimed that a U.S. spy plane flew over North Korean territory eight times earlier this week.