MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia test-fired a Sineva intercontinental missile from a submerged submarine in the Barents Sea on Wednesday as part of a check on the reliability of the navy's strategic forces, the Defence Ministry said.

The liquid-fuelled missile, which can carry nuclear warheads, was fired from the Tula submarine to the Kura Test Range in the far eastern region of Kamchatka, RIA news agency quoted the ministry as saying. It gave no other details.

The Sineva, which has a range of about 12,000 km, entered service in 2007 and is part of efforts to prevent the weakening of Russia's nuclear deterrent.

President Vladimir Putin has underlined the importance of the nuclear deterrent during the standoff with the West over the crisis in Ukraine, and Russia has held several military exercises during the crisis that have alarmed Western powers.