Russia says it successfully tested its Burevestnik cruise missile powered by a nuclear engine and capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.
"We have launched a multi-hour flight of a nuclear-powered missile and it covered a 14,000km distance, which is not the limit," Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov told President Vladimir Putin in a televised meeting on Sunday. Gerasimov said the missile was in the air for 15 hours during the test on 21 October. He added that missile's vertical and horizontal manoevreing were tested and the missile “demonstrated high capabilities to bypass missile and air defence systems.”
“It is a unique ware which nobody else in the world has,” Putin said, dressed in camouflage fatigues. “We need to determine the possible ways of using it and start preparing the infrastructure for deploying this weapon,” he explained.
Dubbed as the SSC-X-9 Skyfall by NATO, Burevestnik has also been called a “flying Chernobyl” by military experts as it is powered by a nuclear reactor and, depending on the design, potentially spews out radioactive exhaust as it flies. Russia says the missile was developed to bypass US and NATO missile defence systems and serves as a key deterrent in its strategic arsenal.
Russia’s fresh missile testing has drawn concerns and criticism among the international community. US President Donald Trump on Monday said it was “inappropriate” to conduct tests of a nuclear-powered missile when the Kremlin should be focused on ending the war with Ukraine. “He ought to get the war. A war that should have taken one week is now soon in its fourth year. That's what he ought to do instead of testing missiles,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.
The timing of the missile testing and Kremlin’s announcement of it is seen as a message to the West, especially to Trump who has been pressing Russia to reach a peace deal in the war with Ukraine. Last week Trump suspended the upcoming summit with Putin, saying he did not want a “wasted meeting”, signalling that the US president had run out of patience with Putin dragging his feet over peace negotiations. Russia has repeatedly threatened to use nuclear weapons against NATO countries if they interfere in Ukraine.
