Vladimir Putin wants his country’s military to bolster their ability to wage nuclear war.
“We will pay increased attention to strengthening the nuclear triad,” the Russian president said in an address broadcast on Russian state television. The “triad” he’s referring to means the ability to fire nuclear missiles from launch points on land, in the air, and from the sea.
To that end, Russia launched the Emperor Alexander III in December, a new nuclear submarine capable of carrying and launching 16 Bulava ballistic missiles. It is the seventh such submarine in Russia’s arsenal.
Putin also announced continued mass production of Kinzhals, defined by Reuters as “air-based hypersonic systems,” and Zircons, hypersonic missiles that can be launched from the sea.
The Russian leader has also touted the development of the RS-28 Sarmat missile. Dubbed “Satan II” the land-based weapon reportedly has a range of 18,000 km and can carry at least 10 “multiple target re-entry vehicles,” each of which carries a nuclear warhead, according to Reuters.
These missiles were originally slated for deployment last year, but have yet to pass muster in terms of their effectiveness. The U.S. believes Russia most recently tested the Sarmat just before President Joe Biden’s Ukraine visit at the beginning of the week and that the missile failed its test once more, according to CNN.
Earlier this week, Russia suspended their participation in the landmark New START Treaty designed to ramp down development of nuclear weapons of mass destruction.
So far, Putin is claiming the reverse of previous nuclear weapon testing embargoes are in deference to defending his country.
“A modern, efficient army and navy are a guarantee of the country's security and sovereignty, a guarantee of its stable development and its future,” Putin said. “Therefore, we will continue to pay priority attention to strengthening our defense capability.”
But as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine hits its one-year anniversary and Ukrainians continue to defiantly fight against the hostilities of its neighbor with the help of western allies, many are suspicious of Putin’s temperament.
“We have heard implicit threats to use nuclear weapons,” United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in an address to the U.N. “The so-called tactical use of nuclear weapons is utterly unacceptable. It is high time to step back from the brink.”
Related
