Putin stood just a kilometer away at the Plesetsk launch pad in Russia's far north as a Molnia rocket blasted off at 10:06 am (0706 GMT) in the latest stage of ongoing Russian exercises aimed at checking Russia's military readiness and the strength of its strategic forces.

Russian media say they include almost all branches of the country's cash-strapped military and are the largest to be staged in the post-Soviet era.

Putin's attendance in Plesetsk and his jaunt through the Barents Sea on board a nuclear submarine appear to be aimed at boosting his tough-guy image and drumming up support from Russia's nationalists in the March 14 vote which he is widely expected to win.

But all did not go according to plan Tuesday as the Russian leader set out to sea to witness the launch of two intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) from a nuclear submarine -- only for the tests to be scrapped because of an apparent malfunction.

Putin spent 20 minutes standing on a deck of a nuclear submarine to witness the launch before turning back to port in disappointment.

The potentially embarrassing incident for the Russian president -- who made military reforms one of the top priorities of his first term -- was hushed up by the state-controlled television station and only reported in the independent media.

The Kommersant business daily said the launch went wrong when the first of two ICBMs failed to completely leave its launching pad. The second launch was then called off as a security precaution.

But Russia's navy -- which also spent days trying to cover up the August 2000 Kursk submarine disaster that claimed the lives of 118 seamen -- again appeared to try to cover up its tracks by saying that no actual launch was ever planned.

This contradicted statements from several top generals issued on the eve of the exercises who advertised the war games as the biggest in over 20 years and which would involve ICBM test launches from both the sea and ground.

Navy commander Vladimir Kuroyedov told Interfax in response to the Kommersant report that he refused "to comment on gossip."

"The ballistic missiles were planned for a simulated launch and that is what the submarine did," he said.

State television Tuesday evening showed Putin complementing top military commanders for a job well done and suggested that awards would be issued to those who took part.

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