MOSCOW — Russia has conducted a test of a new cruise missile that is both nuclear-capable and powered, designed to evade current defense systems, bringing it closer to military deployment, as stated by President Vladimir Putin.
This announcement, which follows several years of testing the Burevestnik missile, is part of the Kremlin’s nuclear messaging strategy, which has resisted Western calls for a ceasefire in Ukraine and has issued strong warnings to the U.S. and other NATO allies against conducting sanction strikes deep within Russia using longer-range Western weaponry.
A video published by the Kremlin depicted Putin, attired in camouflage fatigues, receiving a briefing from Gen. Valery Gerasimov, the chief of general staff of Russia, who informed the Russian leader that the Burevestnik successfully traveled 14,000 kilometers (8,700 miles) during a significant test.
Gerasimov noted that the Burevestnik, which translates to storm petrel in Russian, remained airborne for 15 hours on nuclear power, adding, “that’s not the limit.”
Limited information is available regarding the Burevestnik, which NATO has designated as Skyfall, and numerous Western analysts have expressed skepticism about its reliability, pointing out that a nuclear engine could potentially be very unreliable.
When Putin initially disclosed that Russia was developing this weapon during his 2018 state-of-the-nation address, he asserted that it would possess an unlimited range, enabling it to traverse the globe without detection by missile defense systems.
Numerous analysts contend that such a missile may be challenging to manage and could represent an environmental risk. During the Cold War, both the U.S. and the Soviet Union developed nuclear-powered missiles, but ultimately abandoned these initiatives, deeming them excessively dangerous.
The Burevestnik allegedly experienced an explosion in August 2019 while undergoing tests at a naval range on the White Sea, resulting in the deaths of five nuclear engineers and two service members, as well as a temporary increase in radioactivity that raised concerns in a nearby city.
Although Russian officials did not disclose the weapon involved, the U.S. identified it as the Burevestnik.
“We must assess the potential applications and start preparing the infrastructure for the deployment of these weapons within our armed forces,” Putin stated to Gerasimov.
The Russian president also asserted that it was impervious to existing and future missile defense systems, owing to its virtually limitless range and erratic flight trajectory.
Kirill Dmitriev, a senior aide to Putin who was in the U.S. when the video emerged, mentioned that his delegation had informed U.S. counterparts about the “successful testing” of the Burevestnik, which he described as an “entirely new class” of weapon.
Putin ordered exercises for Russia’s strategic nuclear forces that included simulated missile launches. This drill occurred as his anticipated summit with U.S. President Donald Trump regarding Ukraine was postponed.
The Kremlin announced that the maneuvers encompassed all components of Moscow’s nuclear triad, featuring intercontinental ballistic missiles that were test-fired from launch sites in northwestern Russia and a submarine in the Barents Sea. The exercises also included Tu-95 strategic bombers launching long-range cruise missiles.
The exercise evaluated the capabilities of military command structures, as stated by the Kremlin in an announcement.
