Tensions escalate, Putin tests ballistic missiles
At a time when tensions with the West are rising, the Russian Ministry of Defense has released a short video showing the country successfully testing a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), called Sarmat.
Right on timestressWith tensions with the West on the rise, the Russian Ministry of Defense has released a short video, recording the process of the country successfully testing a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), named Sarmat.
According to the video, the launch of the Sarmat rocket (known in the West as Satan 2) just took place at Russia's Plesetsk spaceport.
Russian media said this was the second successful launch of the Sarmat. The missile was first tested in December 2017.
Experts describe the Sarmat missile as capable of hitting targets in both the Arctic and Antarctic. The current RS-28 Sarmat version is designed to replace the former Soviet Union's Voevoda ICBM (NATO code name SS-18 Satan).
In a speech earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin proudly declared that the Sarmat missile was one of the new weapons that would render NATO defense systems "completely useless." He said the ICBM had a total weight of 200 tons and a longer range than the Satan, allowing it to strike targets anywhere in the world.
The Kremlin chief added that the Sarmat also carries more nuclear warheads, making it significantly more powerful than its predecessor.
In 2016, the Russian News Agency (TASS) reported that Sarmat has a range of more than 11,000km and carries a warhead weighing up to 100 tons.
However, the US side appeared calm in the face of Russia's new weapons tests. After a phone call with his Russian counterpart last week, US President Donald Trump revealed that the two had discussed efforts to limit an arms race.