Russia said on Wednesday it had launched the first test launch of its Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, a new addition to its nuclear arsenal, which President Vladimir Putin said would give Moscow’s enemies something to think about.
Putin was shown on television when the military said the rocket was fired from Plesetsk in the northwestern part of the country and hit targets on the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Far East.
“Sarmat” has been under development for years, so its test launch is not a surprise to the West, but it comes at a time of extreme geopolitical tension due to Russia’s eight-week war in Ukraine.
In this print photo published by the press service of the Roscosmos space agency on Wednesday, April 20, 2022, the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile was launched from Plesetsk in northwestern Russia (Roscosmos space agency press service via AP). (Roscosmos Space Agency press service via AP) 2:25 Why Ukraine’s Donbass region is so important to Putin Why Ukraine’s Donbass region is so important to Putin
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“The new complex has the highest tactical and technical characteristics and is able to overcome all modern means of missile defense. “There are no analogues in the world and there won’t be much time left,” Putin said.
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“This truly unique weapon will strengthen the combat potential of our armed forces, will reliably guarantee Russia’s security from external threats and will provide food for thought for those who are trying to threaten our country in the midst of fierce aggressive rhetoric.
The Sarmatian is a new heavy intercontinental ballistic missile that Russia is expected to deploy with 10 or more warheads on each missile, according to the research service of the US Congress.
Launching the invasion on February 24, Putin made a strong reference to Russia’s nuclear forces and warned the West that any attempt to stand in its way “will lead to consequences you have never seen in your history.”
Days later, he ordered Russia’s nuclear forces to be put on high alert, raising concerns in the West.
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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on March 14th: “The prospect of a nuclear conflict, once unthinkable, is now again in the realm of opportunity.”
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In a statement, the Russian Ministry of Defense said that “Sarmat” was fired from a silo at 15:12 Moscow time (12:12 GMT) and the training warheads have reached a test site in Kamchatka in the Pacific Ocean, at a distance of nearly 6,000 km (3700 miles).
“Sarmat is the most powerful missile with the longest range of destruction of targets in the world, which will significantly increase the combat power of the strategic nuclear forces of our country,” the statement said.
(Report by Mark Trevelyan; edited by Howard Goller, William McLean)
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