Dubbed as 'SATAN 2', Russia test-fires intercontinental ballistic missile Sarmat

Amid the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin has showcased his power to the West by launching a new intercontinental ballistic missile, Sarmat, on Wednesday. During its launch, Putin said that the latest missile launch is capable of firing up to 15 nuclear warheads in a single strike. According to him, the launch of Sarmat is able to overpower all modern means of missile defence and would make the West “think twice” before harbouring any aggressive intentions against Moscow. "There is not — and won’t be — anything comparable in the world," he said.

Meanwhile, in a statement, the Russian Defence Ministry said that the Sarmat ICBM was launched from the Plesetsk launch facility in northern Russia. It claimed that its practice warheads have successfully reached mock targets on the Kura firing range in far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula. 

While speaking to the senior officials on Wednesday, the Russian President hailed the efforts of defence officials who were engaged in the launch. As per Putin, the Sarmat missile has no foreign analogues and is capable of penetrating any prospective missile defence.

Sarmat is built exclusively from domestic components, says Putin

"This really unique weapon will strengthen the combat potential of our armed forces, reliably ensure Russia’s security from external threats and make those, who in the heat of frantic aggressive rhetoric tries to threaten our country, think twice," Putin stressed.

Notably, he was pointing fingers at the sanctions imposed by the West and the European Union on Moscow in a bid to target its arms industries for its action against Ukraine. He said that the new missile is built exclusively from domestic components— a claim that appears contradictory as the missile has been in development since the 2000s. 

"Of course, this will simplify the serial production of the system by enterprises of the military-industrial sector and accelerate its delivery to the Strategic Missile Forces," he added.

However, when asked Pentagon press secretary John Kirby about Russia's missile launch and its potential to threaten the West, he rejected Putin's claim and added Moscow had already notified the US about the launch. "Russia properly notified the United States under its New START obligations that it planned to test this ICBM,” he said.

“Such testing is routine. It was not a surprise. We did not deem the test to be a threat to the United States or its allies," he added. It is worth mentioning that the Sarmat is a heavy missile that has been under development for several years to replace the Soviet-made Voyevoda, which was code-named Satan by the West and forms the core of Russia’s nuclear deterrent.

With inputs from AP

Image: AP