“We pay particular attention, as always, to strengthening the nuclear triad. This year, the first launchers of the Sarmat missile system will be put into service. These are the words of Russian President Vladimir Putin who promised this Thursday the commissioning this year of the latest intercontinental ballistic missile: the Sarmat, called Satan II by Westerners.
On Tuesday, during his long-awaited annual speech, Vladimir Putin had already announced the commissioning of other nuclear systems, without specifying which ones, and announced the suspension of Russia’s participation in the New Start treaty, the latest bilateral nuclear disarmament agreement linking Russians and Americans.
The Sarmat has an almost unlimited range
The Sarmat, whose commissioning was first announced for 2022, was described last April by the master of the Kremlin as a missile capable of “outsmarting all anti-aircraft systems” and which “will make those who are trying to threaten” Russia. It is part of the series of missiles presented in 2018 as “invincible” by Vladimir Putin. According to him, the Sarmat has an almost unlimited range.
But according to CNN, citing US officials speaking on condition of anonymity, Sarmat’s latest trial failed this week. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on the revelations on Wednesday. “All information worth making public is through the Ministry of Defense,” he said, before warning against Western “provocations”.