Overview
- Vladimir Putin said Russia conducted the first test of the Poseidon on October 28, reporting a submarine launch, booster use, and activation of its onboard reactor for a period of travel, while asserting unmatched speed and depth and stating it is not yet in service.
- General Valery Gerasimov announced a successful trial of the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile, which the Kremlin advertises as having unlimited range and the ability to bypass current missile defenses.
- The new assertions remain unverified by independent sources, and analysts argue Burevestnik is subsonic at roughly 960 km/h and detectable rather than stealthy.
- Experts warn that reactors onboard both systems pose severe safety and environmental risks, recalling a 2019 White Sea test incident that killed five nuclear engineers and two servicemembers and produced a brief radiation spike.
- Several specialists frame these unveilings as strategic messaging and possible bargaining chips in arms-control diplomacy, with some reports describing Poseidon as designed to create a radioactive tsunami.