Russia tests Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, Putin calls it 'world’s strongest'
Sarah Shamim
Russia tested a new intercontinental ballistic missile, with President Vladimir Putin calling the RS-28 Sarmat the world’s strongest, claiming a range far exceeding Western estimates. The missile, designed to replace Soviet-era ICBMs, is expected to enter combat duty later this year. The announcement comes amid ongoing conflict in Ukraine and heightened nuclear rhetoric from Moscow.
Russia has tested a new intercontinental ballistic missile as part of its nuclear modernization efforts, with President Vladimir Putin praising the launch days after he signaled an end to fighting in Ukraine.
"This is the world’s strongest missile," Putin said Tuesday about the Sarmat, adding that its total warhead payload—equipped with independently targetable reentry vehicles—is more than four times greater than any Western counterpart.
Putin stated the nuclear-capable Sarmat missile will enter combat duty later this year. It is designed to replace aging Soviet-era Voyevoda missiles.
What is the Sarmat missile?
The RS-28 Sarmat, dubbed "Satan II" by the West, is a ground-launched, guided intercontinental ballistic missile built to carry nuclear warheads with a minimum range of 5,500 km (about 3,400 miles).
Putin claimed Tuesday its maximum range exceeds 35,000 km (21,750 miles)—far outstripping any Western rival—and asserted it can "penetrate all existing and future missile defense systems." However, Western analysts estimate its actual maximum range at around 18,000 km (11,000 miles).
Development of the missile began in 2011, and it is expected to replace approximately 40 Soviet-era Voyevoda missiles. A test in September 2024 reportedly ended in a massive explosion.
According to an April 2024 report by the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the Sarmat’s maximum payload is 10 tons. CSIS added that the Sarmat is 35.3 meters (116 ft) long, 3 meters (9.8 ft) in diameter, and weighs 208.1 tons.
What is the actual range of the RS-28 Sarmat?
While Putin claims the range exceeds 35,000 km, Western analysts estimate it at close to 18,000 km. The CSIS April 2024 report also cited a lower figure as the range. Western estimates place the Voyevoda’s range at 16,000 km (about 9,900 miles).
The range claimed by Putin is nearly equivalent to a full circle around the planet, meaning the missile could theoretically strike almost any target worldwide. Both cited ranges are more than sufficient to hit any U.S. city from Russian territory and beyond.
Other new weapons Russia has announced
Moscow’s latest weapons include the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle, capable of flying at 27 times the speed of sound. The first units have entered service. Russia has also deployed the new Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile, which can carry nuclear warheads and has used a conventionally armed version twice to strike Ukraine.
Putin also announced that Russia is in the "final stage" of developing the Poseidon nuclear-armed unmanned underwater drone and the Burevestnik cruise missile, both powered by small nuclear reactors.
Why is Russia announcing new weapons now?
Putin described these new weapons as part of Russia’s response to a missile shield Washington developed after pulling out of a Cold War-era treaty limiting U.S.-Soviet missile defenses in 2001. Russian military planners fear that having such a robust missile shield could embolden Washington to launch a first strike aimed at destroying most of Moscow’s nuclear arsenal.
Latest developments in the Russia-Ukraine war
Ukraine recently struck gas facilities in Russia’s Orenburg region, over 1,500 km (932 miles) from the Ukrainian border, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his Tuesday address. Zelenskyy said the attack was retaliation for Russia’s overnight strikes on Ukraine.
On Saturday, Putin hinted that the war in Ukraine, which began more than four years ago, may be nearing its end. The Kremlin reiterated that claim Tuesday, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying progress in talks with both the U.S. and Ukraine will soon end the conflict while cautioning it is too early to provide specifics.
Since launching the full-scale war in Ukraine in February 2022, Putin has repeatedly reminded the world of the size and strength of Russia’s nuclear arsenal in statements the West views as an attempt to deter them from intervening too heavily on Ukraine’s behalf.
