Russian President Vladimir Putin says his country has fired “the most powerful missile in the world”, which he says will enter combat service by the end of the year.
The nuclear-armed Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile – nicknamed Satan II – was built to replace the aging Soviet-built Voyevoda.
What are the capabilities of the Sarmat missile?
Putin says the combined power of the Sarmat’s individually targeted warheads is more than four times higher than any Western counterpart.
Part of a range of new weapons being developed by Russia, the Sarmat’s development began in 2011.
But it’s not the first time Putin claimed that the Sarmat had test-launched successfully – he said the same in April 2022.
Before now, the missile had only one known successful test out of five, and reportedly suffered a massive explosion during an abortive test in 2024.
Russian Strategic Missile Forces chief, Colonel General Sergei Karakayev, reports to President Vladimir Putin on the test launch of the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile. (Picture: Mikhail Metzel/Sputnik)The Sarmat is classified as a “heavy” ICBM and is capable of carrying up to 10 tonnes in payload, according to America’s Centre for Strategic and International Studies’ Missile Defence Project.
Putin says it is capable of suborbital flight, he said, giving it a range of more than 21,700 miles and an extended capability to penetrate any prospective missile defences.
Moscow’s new weapons also include the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle, capable of flying 27 times faster than the speed of sound.
How much damage could it do?
Putin says the Sarmat is capable of suborbital flight, giving it a range of more than 21,700 miles and an extended capability to penetrate any prospective missile defences.
According to The Telegraph, Vyacheslav Volodin, a member of Russia’s security council, previously claimed it could hit the European Parliament in Strasbourg in under four minutes, despite no evidence to support this.
Russia just tested what Putin called the most powerful ICBM ever built. Putin announced the RS-28 Sarmat test personally yesterday.NATO refers to it as “Satan II”. Here is why the world is paying attention • Range of 35,000 km on suborbital trajectory reaching every… pic.twitter.com/vi07eYK81A
— Military Observer (@TheMilObserverr) May 13, 2026Why is the missile being tested now?
It could be possible that Russia is firing this missile now ahead of Donald Trump’s state visit to China this week.
It also comes as Putin faces pressure from within to end the war on Ukraine.
What future weapons are Russia building?
Putin also announced Russia was in the “final stages” of the development of the nuclear-armed Poseidon underwater drone and the Burevestnik cruise missile, powered by miniature atomic reactors.
The Poseidon is designed to explode near enemy coastlines and cause a radioactive tsunami.
The Burevestnik has virtually unlimited range thanks to nuclear propulsion, allowing it to loiter for days, circling air defences and attacking from unexpected directions.
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