President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia had successfully tested a powerful new strategic missile and refused to rule out the possibility that Moscow could conduct weapons tests involving nuclear explosions for the first time in more than three decades, reports The Guardian, quoted by News.ro.
Vladimir PutinPhoto: Pavel Golovkin / AP / Profimedia
Putin confirmed Thursday that Moscow had successfully test-fired the Burevestnik, a nuclear-powered, nuclear-capable cruise missile with a potential range of many thousands of kilometers.
The American newspaper The New York Times wrote this week that according to satellite images showing specific activity at a Russian launch base in the Arctic, Moscow is preparing for, or may have conducted, another test of a nuclear-powered cruise missile, known as Burevestnik. These satellite images captured aircraft and vehicle movements “similar to preparations that preceded previous tests” carried out in 2017 and 2019.
According to the NYT, it could be the test of a Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile. Little is known about this long-range weapon, whose mode of propulsion was mentioned by Vladimir Putin in 2018 when he presented five other strategic weapons. Burevestnik was tested 13 times – without success – between 2017 and 2019, according to the NGO Nuclear Threat Initiative, cited by the NYT.
This new test may have already been performed, the NYT pointed out. In any case, at the end of August, the Russian authorities issued an advisory asking airplanes to avoid this “temporary danger zone” until at least October 6.
Vladimir Putin also announced on Thursday, at an annual gathering of analysts and journalists held in Sochi – the so-called Valdai Club – that Russia has almost completed work on its Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile system, another key element of the new his generations of nuclear weapons.
Putin, who has repeatedly reminded the world of Russia’s nuclear power since launching his invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, has said that no one in their right mind would use nuclear weapons against Russia. If such an attack were detected, he said, “such a large number of our missiles – hundreds, hundreds – would appear in the air that no enemy would have a chance of survival.”
However, there is no need for Russia to rewrite its doctrine regarding the effective use of nuclear weapons, which says that it can launch them either in response to a nuclear attack against it or in the event of a threat to the existence of the state, Putin said.
Russia has not carried out a test involving a nuclear explosion since 1990, the year before the collapse of the Soviet Union, and Putin on Thursday refused to rule out the possibility that Moscow would not resume such tests. He stated that the United States has not ratified the treaty banning nuclear tests, while Russia has signed and ratified it. It would theoretically be possible for the Duma, the Russian parliament, to revoke its ratification, he said.
Military analysts say a resumption of nuclear tests by Russia, the United States, or both would be deeply destabilizing at a time when tensions between the two countries are higher than at any time in 60 years. In February, Putin suspended Russia’s participation in the New START treaty, which limits the number of nuclear weapons each side can deploy.
Responding to a question from Russian analyst Sergei Karaganov, who advocated loosening the conditions for the use of nuclear weapons, Putin said:
“I just don’t see the need for this.” He added: “There is no situation today where, say, something would threaten Russian statehood and the existence of the Russian state. No. I think no person in their right mind and with a clear memory would think of using nuclear weapons against Russia”.
Karaganov has raised suspicions among Russian and Western strategic analysts alike, arguing that it is time for Russia to reduce the conditions for the use of nuclear weapons in order to “contain, frighten and demystify opponents”. He wrote in a recent article that Russia should “shake” its enemies by threatening nuclear attacks on European countries and American bases in Europe, Reuters notes. (takeover News.ro)
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