Moscow ? A technical glitch thwarted the launch of Russian ballistic missiles in the Barents Sea on Tuesday during naval maneuvers overseen by President Vladimir Putin, who watched the massive exercise while decked out in naval officer’s garb aboard a nuclear submarine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin stands aboard the Arkhangelsk nuclear submarine in the Barents Sea, Russia. Putin went out Tuesday on the Barents Sea to observe military maneuvers set to involve numerous missile launches and flights of strategic bombers; however, a technical glitch prevented the event.

The failed launch, part of an exercise described as the largest show of Russian military might in more than 20 years, marred an event apparently aimed at playing up Putin’s image as a leader attempting to restore the country’s military power and global clout.

Putin, who is expected to easily win the presidential election March 14, went to the Barents Sea on board the giant Arkhangelsk submarine to observe maneuvers set to involve numerous missile launches and flights of strategic bombers.

But the ambitious exercise hit a snag when a ballistic missile, a missile that is launched on a high-arch trajectory to hit a designated target, failed to blast off as scheduled from another submarine, the Novomoskovsk, a government official said on condition of anonymity. The official said the automatic safety system blocked the launch for unspecified reasons.

The event became a hot topic for Russian analysts and military figures.

“The failed launch has shown the gap between the real condition of the Russian military and the ambitions and muscle-flexing of the Russian leadership,” said Yevgeny Volk, the head of the Heritage Foundation’s Moscow office.