The massive magnitude 8.8 earthquake that struck off Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula last week has triggered the activity of seven volcanoes in the area, according to the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS).

The Krasheninnikov volcano’s first eruption in centuries is believed to have been triggered in part by the massive earthquake a few earlier.

Russia has declared it's no longer considers itself bound by a self-imposed moratorium on deploying nuclear-capable intermediate range missiles, a warning that potentially sets the stage for a new arms race as tensions between Moscow and Washington rise again over Ukraine.