Overview
- Vladimir Putin announced a successful Poseidon trial and asserted there is no way to intercept the system, adding that its nuclear power unit was activated during the test.
- Russian state media and defense‑industry sources describe Poseidon as nuclear‑propelled, able to operate below 1,000 meters, travel at roughly 60–70 knots, and carry a nuclear warhead.
- Moscow says the system is intended to be deployed from the Belgorod nuclear submarine, which entered service in 2022 and is configured for such launches.
- The announcement follows the Kremlin’s recent claim of a successful Burevestnik missile trial, as U.S. President Donald Trump called Russia’s nuclear propulsion tests "inappropriate."
- Reporters and analysts note the absence of publicly verifiable evidence and point to significant deployment and doctrinal uncertainties, while extreme yield and "radioactive tsunami" effects are discussed in some reports without independent confirmation.