Putin has said an intercontinental ballistic missile launched in Russia on Wednesday, 20 April, will provide ‘food for thought for those who try to invade’.
The missile, dubbed Satan II, is the latest of the Kremlin’s chilling warnings, and the projectile is said to be capable of firing up to 12 nuclear warheads in one go.
The weapon, which can travel 6,000 miles, reportedly packs missile evasion technology and can target an area the size of France.
According to The Mirror, the missile was launched at the Plesetsk cosmodrome in northwest Russia and hit a target located in the country’s east. When Putin was told about the missile launch during an appearance on state TV, he reportedly hailed the missile as being ‘capable of overcoming all modern means of anti-missile defence’.
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Putin said: “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 won't have for a long time to come. 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."
Reuters notes that while Wednesday’s test-launch is no surprise – as the missile has been in development for years – it does come at ‘a moment of extreme geopolitical tension’.
The missile, also known as the RS-28 Sarmat, has been in development since the 2000s, and is set to replace missiles that were originally developed in the 1970s.
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Professor Malcolm Chambers, of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), a British defence and security think-tank that specialises in nuclear proliferation, told Reuters the new missile wouldn't make a large difference to Russia's forces, as they already have 'considerable destructive potential', but said one missile loaded with 10 warheads could target very large areas.
It comes as Vladimir Putin's 'special military operation' has stretched into its eighth week in Ukraine.
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Topics: Russia, World News