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RUSSIA last night provoked fresh fears of a Cold War by boasting it has tested a new long-range nuclear missile.Moscow’s military chiefs revealed their Topol intercontinental stealth rocket had been fired successfully.The chilling declaration was aimed at sparking international alarm about the conflict in the Caucasus, diplomats claimed.Foreign Secretary David Miliband tried to calm the crisis by saying no country wants “all-out war” with Russia.But he admitted the invasion of Georgia has brought an end to peace in Europe.Russia’s Interfax agency said:“The experimental warhead section of the rocket hit its pre-determined target with high accuracy at the firing range.”The RS-12M Topol, designed to dodge defence systems, has a range of 6,125 miles-enough to reach Britain-with a 550-kiloton warhead capable of devastating a 14-mile wide area.It was launched from the spaceport at Plesetsk to the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia’s Far East. But Russia’s own allies condemned leaders Dmitry Medvedev and Vladimir Putin.The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation slammed the Kremlin for its aggression against neighbouring Georgia.The SCO, made up of China and Black Sea states, said: “Relying on the use of force has no prospects and hinders a settlement of local conflicts.“We urge the sides to solve problems peacefully.”The EU talked of sanctions unless Moscow backs down.Britain postponed September’s military exercises in Georgia-a day after Moscow warned such moves could be tantamount to a declaration of war.But Russia last night accused the UK of direct involvement in helping Georgia’s armed forces.General Anatoly Nogovitsyn alleged the charity Halo Trust, once linked to Princess Diana, is training bomb technicians.The conflict in Georgia continues with South Ossetia claiming to have shot down an unmanned Georgian spy plane.
By GEORGE PASCOE-WATSON
As in the days of Noah...
