Overview
- The Kremlin says the latest flight on October 21 lasted about 15 hours over roughly 14,000 km, according to Russia’s chief of the general staff Valery Gerasimov.
- Vladimir Putin directed the military to prepare infrastructure for the Burevestnik’s induction and touted a unique design with very long range and an ability to bypass defenses.
- Moscow says it informed Washington of the successful test, while U.S. President Donald Trump called the announcement inappropriate and urged Putin to end the war in Ukraine.
- The program, unveiled in 2018, has a record of failed trials and a 2019 accident that killed at least five engineers, and Norway’s nuclear safety authority reports no radiation spike after the latest test.
- Experts cite major technical, safety and logistical hurdles, noting no deployment infrastructure or doctrine is in place and suggesting any real fielding is likely years away, potentially near 2030.