Overview
- President Vladimir Putin released footage of a briefing in which Gen. Valery Gerasimov reported a 14,000 km flight lasting about 15 hours on October 21 using nuclear propulsion.
- Putin directed the military to determine the system’s classification and to prepare infrastructure for basing the 9M730 Burevestnik, known by NATO as the SSC-X-9 Skyfall.
- Russian officials claim the missile has near‑unlimited range and an unpredictable flight path intended to defeat current and future missile defenses.
- The public disclosure came the same week Russia conducted large strategic drills involving land-, sea-, and air‑launched nuclear forces.
- Western analysts note the program’s poor test history and a 2019 explosion linked to it, questioning the weapon’s practical value, detectability, and radiation risks.