Russia says N.Korea missile appeared to be 'medium-range'

A missile fired by North Korea today appeared to be a "medium-range" weapon, the Russian military said, as the West and its allies reacted with consternation to the latest launch by Pyongyang.

In a statement cited by Russian agencies the defence ministry in Moscow said that according to flight parameters detected by its warning systems the "characteristics were those of a medium-range ballistic missile.