Moscow, Russia - Russia successfully test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile at a site in the south of the country, the Defense Ministry in Moscow said early Wednesday, delivering a new warning to its enemies.

The long-range missile was launched from the Kapustin Yar test area in the Astrakhan region, on the banks of the Caspian Sea.

The test warhead later impacted as planned at a site in the allied country of Kazakhstan, the ministry said, adding that the goal was to test the missile's "combat capability."

Russia has been raining missiles across neighboring Ukraine for more than 13 months. Moscow's military rhetoric toward the West has escalated at the same time, even raising the grim prospect of nuclear war.

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Recently, the Kremlin caused a stir with its announcement that it would station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. These weapons have a shorter range than intercontinental ballistic missiles, which can travel more than 3,000 miles.

Fears are growing that Russia might resort to using them in Ukraine if it loses even more ground in an invasion that has stalled.

With Russian President Vladimir Putin recently designating the US as an existential risk to his country, the possibility of a direct confrontation with Western powers is also a major worry.