Russia Air Defenses in Far East on High Alert Amid Pyongyang Missile Test

Russia's air defense units in the country's Far East have been put on high alert the recent missile launch conducted by North Korea, Victor Ozerov, the chairman of the Russian upper house of parliament’s committee on defense and security, told Sputnik on Sunday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – On Sunday, at 5:38 a.m. local time (20:28 GMT on Saturday) Pyongyang launched an unidentified missile, presumably a ballistic one, in the vicinity of Kusong, North Pyongan Province. The rocket fell in the Sea of Japan after flying some 500 miles. The launch has already been criticized by a number of countries, including the United States.

"We understand that Russia's territory is neither a target of the launch, nor the place, where the missile has fallen. But in order to protect ourselves from possible incidents, we are keeping our air defense systems located in the country's Far East on high alert," Ozerov said.

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