Russia tests nuclear-capable missile in warning
to enemies
Putin boasts new intercontinental ballistic weapon
will provide rivals with ‘food for thought’
Reuters
Wed 20 Apr
2022 17.58 BST
Russia has
said it had test-launched its Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, a new
addition to its nuclear arsenal, which Vladimir Putin said would give Moscow’s
enemies something to think about.
The Russian
president was shown on television being told by the military that the missile
had been launched from Plesetsk in the north-west and hit targets in the
Kamchatka peninsula in the far east.
“The new
complex has the highest tactical and technical characteristics and is capable
of overcoming all modern means of anti-missile defence. It has no analogues in
the world and will not have for a long time to come,” Putin said.
“This truly
unique weapon will strengthen the combat potential of our armed forces,
reliably ensure Russia’s security from external threats and provide food for
thought for those who, in the heat of frenzied aggressive rhetoric, try to
threaten our country.”
The
Pentagon said on Wednesday Russia had properly notified it ahead of its test
launch, adding it saw the test as routine and not a threat to the United
States.
Russia is
expected to deploy the Sarmat with 10 or more warheads on each missile,
according to the US Congressional Research Service.
It has been
in development for years and so its test-launch is not a surprise for the west,
but it comes at a moment of extreme geopolitical tension due to Russia’s war in
Ukraine.
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