Russia deploys Sarmat ICBM that Vladimir Putin says will make enemies ‘think twice’

The head of Russia’s Roscosmos space agency said on Friday that the country has deployed an advanced intercontinental ballistic missile that President Vladimir Putin once said will make Russia’s enemies “think twice”.

Agency head Yuri Borisov said Sarmat missiles have been placed on combat duty, according to Russian news agencies. Further details were not reported.

The Sarmat is one of several advanced weapons whose development Putin announced in 2018. The silo-based missile, capable of carrying multiple nuclear warheads, is intended to replace the R-36 ICBMs that are known by the Nato reporting name of Satan.

The Sarmat reportedly has a short initial launch phase, allowing little time for surveillance systems to track it.

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Putin oversees nuclear strike drills by Russia’s strategic offensive forces

Putin oversees nuclear strike drills by Russia’s strategic offensive forces

In a March 2018 speech to reveal the ICBM, the Russian president touted a series of new modern weapons that he said were capable of rendering US missile defences “ineffective”.

He called Sarmat a “unique weapon”, and a video presentation during his speech appeared to show warheads closing in on a map of South Florida.

But the first test launch was only conducted in April last year, two months after the start of the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine.

Putin said then that the Sarmat would “reliably ensure the security of Russia from external threats and make those who, in the heat of aggressive rhetoric, try to threaten our country, think twice”.

Russia’s Sarmat missile test poses global nuclear safety risk, say analysts

The missile was due to enter service at the end of 2022, according to the state-run RIA Novosti news service, though that deadline passed. Putin said in June that the missiles would be deployed soon.

Whether the Sarmat, which Russia has said can strike over the North or South Pole, works reliably is unclear. In February, a test launch appears to have failed, CNN reported, citing US officials.

Throughout the war in Ukraine, Putin has repeatedly warned the US and its allies against involvement in the conflict, hinting at Russia’s willingness to use any weapon in its arsenal to protect its security.

In February, Russia suspended participation in a key nuclear-arms pact with the US. Putin said that while Russia wouldn’t be the first to resume nuclear weapons tests, it would do so in response to any US testing.

Associated Press and Bloomberg