Overview
- Speaking at a ceremony honoring weapons developers, Vladimir Putin said the MIRV‑capable Sarmat would begin trial deployment by year’s end and enter service next year.
- Russia recently announced successful experiments of the nuclear‑powered Burevestnik cruise missile and the Poseidon nuclear torpedo, which Putin highlighted during the event.
- Putin touted Burevestnik as exceeding the range of other missile systems and said its miniature reactor can start within seconds, assertions not independently verified.
- Coverage notes Sarmat is described as having an approximate 18,000 km range and being designed to defeat U.S. missile defense, while prior reports cited test failures in 2023–24.
- The new timeline raises unresolved inconsistencies with a 2023 claim of initial Sarmat deployment, and some reporting frames the announcements as strategic messaging toward Washington.