Russia has successfully tested a nuclear-powered, nuclear-capable cruise missile that President Vladimir Putin says can evade any existing defense system — marking what appears to be a major step toward deploying one of the most secretive weapons in Moscow’s arsenal.
A video released by the Kremlin showed Putin, clad in camouflage, being briefed by Gen. Valery Gerasimov, Russia’s chief of general staff. During the report, Gerasimov informed him that the Burevestnik missile had traveled 8,700 miles during a crucial test on Tuesday. He added that the missile, which runs on nuclear propulsion, “spent 15 hours in the air on nuclear power,” before remarking, “that’s not the limit.”
Putin said the weapon is designed to be unstoppable. “We need to determine the possible uses and begin preparing the infrastructure for deploying these weapons to our armed forces,” he told Gerasimov. The Russian leader also declared that the Burevestnik is “invulnerable to current and future missile defenses,” citing its limitless range and unpredictable flight path.
The test, which Moscow hailed as a breakthrough, follows years of trials and setbacks involving the Burevestnik — known by NATO as “Skyfall.” The missile is believed to be capable of traveling vast distances at low altitudes, potentially flying around the world undetected. Putin first unveiled the project in 2018, claiming it would possess “unlimited range” and render Western defense systems obsolete.
Despite Russia’s claims, Western analysts have long doubted the missile’s reliability, warning that a nuclear engine could prove unstable and extremely dangerous. Both the United States and the Soviet Union pursued similar projects during the Cold War but ultimately abandoned them as unsafe and environmentally hazardous.
Concerns intensified in August 2019, when a missile believed to be the Burevestnik exploded during testing at a naval range on the White Sea. The blast killed five nuclear engineers and two soldiers, briefly elevating radiation levels in a nearby city and triggering alarm among residents. While Russian authorities never confirmed the missile’s identity, U.S. intelligence later said it was the same nuclear-powered weapon.
Kirill Dmitriev, a senior Putin aide who was visiting the United States when the test footage was released, said his team informed American officials about the “successful testing” of what he called “an absolutely new class” of weapon.
The latest development comes as the Kremlin ramps up nuclear signaling amid its ongoing standoff with the West over Ukraine. Russia has resisted calls for a ceasefire and warned the U.S. and NATO against authorizing long-range strikes into Russian territory.
Earlier in the week, Putin oversaw a massive exercise of Russia’s strategic nuclear forces, which included live missile launches from land, air, and sea. The Kremlin confirmed that the drills tested every element of Moscow’s nuclear triad — from intercontinental ballistic missiles fired in northwestern Russia to submarine-launched projectiles in the Barents Sea, and Tu-95 bombers deploying long-range cruise missiles.
The exercise took place as a planned summit between Putin and President Donald Trump on the Ukraine crisis was postponed — but the timing of Russia’s test sent a clear message: Moscow is showcasing its nuclear might, and it wants the world to notice.
{Matzav.com}
