Overview
- A Kremlin video showed Vladimir Putin being briefed by Gen. Valery Gerasimov, who said the Oct. 21 flight covered about 14,000 km over roughly 15 hours using nuclear propulsion.
- Putin declared the “decisive tests” complete and directed the military to begin preparing infrastructure and classification steps to put the system into service.
- Russia claims the ground-launched cruise missile has near‑unlimited range and can evade defenses by loitering and taking unpredictable routes, claims not independently verified.
- Analysts note the program’s poor test record, including a 2019 incident that killed nuclear specialists and triggered radiation concerns, and question the missile’s value at subsonic speeds.
- The announcement followed strategic nuclear-force drills across land, sea and air, intensifying debate over eroding arms-control limits and the need to update missile-defense and monitoring.