Overview
- Vladimir Putin said the trial marked the first time the device was launched from a carrier submarine and operated on its nuclear power unit for a period, calling the result a “huge success.”
- He asserted the system cannot be intercepted and claimed its destructive power exceeds Russia’s Sarmat intercontinental missile, statements that have not been independently verified.
- U.S. and NATO officials have not confirmed the test details, and the Pentagon declined to comment on the reported activation of the nuclear power unit.
- Russia earlier reported an Oct. 21 Burevestnik flight that covered about 14,000 km over roughly 15 hours using nuclear propulsion, according to Gen. Valery Gerasimov.
- Russian officials present these experiments as a response to U.S. missile‑defense advances and NATO expansion, while Western experts cite scarce verifiable data, potential environmental risks, and note President Trump’s public criticism of the tests.