Russia tests cruise missiles aiming to overawe the West

 
Russian President Vladimir Putin has given state awards to the developers of the Burevestnik cruise missile and the Poseidon underwater torpedo, the latest signal in what analysts have cast as efforts by the Kremlin to discourage the West from supporting Ukraine, reports CNN.

At an awards ceremony in the Kremlin on Tuesday, Putin claimed the two nuclear-powered, nuclear-capable weapons were of “historic significance” for Russia and “for the entire 21st century.” “In terms of flight range, the Burevestnik has surpassed all known missile systems in the world,” Putin said in a speech, praising the state of Russia’s defense technology.

Putin also said that Russia has begun serial production of the Oreshnik, another nuclear-capable missile. Russia used the hypersonic Oreshnik in a strike on the Ukrainian region of Dnipro in November 2024 – the first time in history an intermediate-range ballistic missile has been used in battle. The awards ceremony comes amid growing tension between Moscow and Washington, after US President Donald Trump – frustrated by Putin’s prevarications over ending the war in Ukraine – last month imposed sanctions on two Russian oil giants and cancelled a proposed summit with the Russian leader in Hungary.

Days after Trump’s sanctions, Putin announced on October 26 that Russia had successfully tested the Burevestnik cruise missile. In a video released by the Kremlin, Putin – wearing military garb – was shown meeting with Russia’s chief of the general staff, Valery Gerasimov, who told the president that the Burevestnik flew 8,700 miles (14,000 kilometers) over 15 hours. On October 28, Putin claimed the Poseidon – another “invincible” Russian weapon with a range of more than 6,000 miles (9,650 kilometers) – had been successfully tested.

Neither weapon is new. Putin unveiled both weapons in 2018, and even announced a successful test of the Burevestnik in 2023. But analysts say Russia is using previously announced missile technology to send new nuclear threats to the West, and the US in particular.

A 2021 report by the US Air Force's National Air and Space Intelligence Center concluded: "A nuclear-powered cruise missile would give Russia a unique weapon with intercontinental range capability." The missile, code-named Skyfall by NATO, is thought to be powered by a nuclear reactor, which is supposed to activate after solid fuel rocket boosters have launched it into the air.

An investigation by news agency Reuters last year identified a facility 475km (295 miles) north of Moscow as the likely launch site of the weapon. Using satellite imagery from August 2024, analyst Decker Eveleth told Reuters he had identified nine horizontal launch pads under construction at the site.