Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared his regime’s latest nuclear-capable missile will be deployed as early as this autumn, saying it will force those who attempt to threaten Russia to think twice.
The Sarmat missile, or Satan II, is said to be the world’s longest-range intercontinental ballistic missile capable of hitting a target 11,200 miles away, meaning it could easily strike targets in the US and Europe.
Vladimir Putin called the development of the missile, which was successfully test-fired, a big, significant event for Russia’s defence drive, saying the Sarmat will ensure Russia’s security from external threats and make those who try to threaten their country with aggressive rhetoric think twice.
He said the missile could break through all current anti-missile defences, and he said that there was nothing like this anywhere in the world and that there wouldn’t be for a long time.
Western military experts said the Sarmat was capable of carrying 10 or more nuclear warheads and decoys, easily enough to wipe out territories the size of Britain or France in a single strike.
However, pundits believe the autumn target announced by Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Rogozin, head of the Roscosmos space agency, was an ambitious one because Moscow reported its first test launch only on Wednesday and more tests would be needed before the missile could be deployed.
This week’s test, after years of delays due to funding and technical problems, marks a show of strength by Russia at a time when the fighting in Ukraine has sent tensions with the US and its allies soaring to their highest levels since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis.
Rogozin said in an interview with Russian state TV that the missiles would be deployed with a unit in Uzhur, in the Krasnoyarsk region, about 3,000 km (1,860) east of Moscow.
He said they would be put at the same sites and in the same silos as the Soviet-era Voyevoda missiles they’re replacing, something that would save colossal resources and time.
Rogozin said the launch of the superweapon was a historic event that would ensure the safety of Russia’s children and grandchildren for the next 30-40 years.
Western concern about the threat of nuclear war has risen since Vladimir Putin launched his illegal and murderous invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
When the Russian tyrant burst into the former Soviet state, he made a reference to his nation’s nuclear deterrents, warning the West that any major intervention would lead them to such consequences that they’ve ever experienced in their history.
If there is a breakthrough in all current defences, why haven’t we heard about them before now? Or is it in fact a complete lie?
Vladimir Putin might have such missiles, but showing ballistics frightens nobody, and hopefully, his projectiles are just weapons that are rusty toilet cans, but still, we shouldn’t ignore him.
Numerous years ago Vladimir Putin bragged that he would have 2,000 unstoppable T-14 tanks, today he has a handful of prototypes which are incomplete and he declared he didn’t need them and that they wouldn’t be built.
Ten years ago he announced he would have thousands of Su-57s, today he has a few incomplete prototypes. Now it’s Satan II and now they have even less money and his economy is shrinking rapidly.
But there’s always a greater danger when one man has so much power, and if he should feel suicidal, he might just have the inclination to take everyone with him, and he’s the most dangerous of any leader because if he is sick or dying, at this point he has absolutely nothing to lose.
THE MONTHLY MOSQUITO 