Overview
- Kremlin video showed Putin in uniform receiving a briefing from Gen. Valery Gerasimov that the 9M730 Burevestnik flew about 14,000 km over roughly 15 hours in an October 21 test.
- Russian officials describe the missile, known by NATO as SSC-X-9 Skyfall, as a unique weapon with near‑unlimited range and an unpredictable flight path.
- Putin instructed the military to determine operational roles and begin preparing infrastructure to incorporate the missile into Russia’s forces.
- Western experts voice doubts about reliability and environmental safety, citing a 2019 test incident in the White Sea linked to fatalities and a brief radiation increase.
- The announcement accompanied recent strategic nuclear force exercises, and analysts view it as a political signal to the West tied to tensions over Ukraine and U.S. missile-defense plans.