Overview
- Russia’s General Staff said the Oct. 21 flight of the 9M730 Burevestnik lasted about 15 hours and covered roughly 14,000 kilometers while performing maneuvers intended to evade defenses.
- President Vladimir Putin ordered the military to define potential roles for the system and begin building infrastructure for possible fielding, with its classification within the arsenal still under review.
- No independent confirmation of the reported test has been provided by the United States or other countries, and Russian officials did not disclose the launch location or where the missile came down.
- U.S. President Donald Trump called the test “not appropriate” and urged Putin to focus on ending the war in Ukraine, while Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov framed the program as essential to Russia’s security against European militarism.
- Nonproliferation experts questioned the missile’s reliability and safety, citing a suspected 2019 test accident, as Russia conducted strategic nuclear exercises last week and formally ended its plutonium disposal pact with the United States.