Russia has successfully tested the Bulava nuclear intercontinental ballistic missile following a series of failures, the Defence Ministry has said.

The missile was fired from the Dmitry Donskoi submarine in the White Sea and hit its target in the Kura test range on the Kamchatka peninsula, according to Agence France Presse.

“The parameters of the trajectory worked out as planned and the warheads successfully landed at the Kura firing area,” the Defence Ministry said.

The missile has a range of 8,000km and can be equipped with up to 10 individually targeted nuclear warheads.

The test firing was the 13th test. Of the last 12 test firings, only five were successful.

The ministry has invested a large proportion of its procurement budget into ensuring the missile remains a key element of its rocket forces.