On Tuesday, Russia test-fired a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), the RS-28 Sarmat (NATO: Satan 2), built to replace the ageing Soviet-built Voyevoda. Hailing the launch, President Vladimir Putin called it the "most powerful missile in the world."
The Russian president claimed that the combined power of the Sarmat's individually targeted warheads is more than four times higher than that of any Western counterpart.
Sarmat is a MIRV (multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicle) that can carry up to 16 warheads.
Putin said the Sarmat ICBM is as powerful as the Voyevoda, but with greater precision. It is capable of suborbital flight, he said, giving it a range of more than 35,000 kilometres (21,700 miles) and an enhanced capability to penetrate any prospective missile defences.
Colonel General Sergey Karakayev, commander of the Strategic Missile Forces (RVSN) reportedly informed Putin that RSVN hopes to station a Sarmat-armed regiment at Uzhur unit in the Krasnoyarsk region by the end the year.
“The Sarmat will indeed be placed on combat duty at the end of the current year,” the Russian president confirmed.
Putin said Moscow would continue to modernise its strategic nuclear forces and develop missile systems that would be capable of overcoming all current and future defence systems.
Why is the world skeptical?
According to Western security analysts, Putin's claims about the missile's capabilities are highly exaggerated, as Sarmat has seen failures in the past. A test in September 2024 left a deep crater at the launch silo.
According to the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance, a US-based non-profit organisation, Sarmat has an expected range of over 10,000 kilometres (6,200 miles), as opposed to Putin's claim of 35,000 kilometres. Various other estimates place Sarmat’s range is closer to 18,000km, as opposed its claimed capability of covering the entire planet.
The missile's propulsion system—Sarmat is liquid-fueled—also puts it at a disadvantage because liquid-fueled missiles take longer to prepare for launch, as the fuel often has to be loaded before firing. Liquid-fueled systems are also mechanically more complex, which can increase maintenance needs and the possibility of technical failure. Solid-fueled missiles, on the other hand, can remain stored for long periods in a launch-ready condition and can be fired much more quickly.
Russian Telegram channel Astra, which is labelled a foreign agent by Russian authorities, pointed out that Putin has made claims about the missile's imminent combat readiness at least 10 times in the past five years.
Despite repeated deployment promises by Putin and Russian officials since 2022, Sarmat has faced continuous delays and the catastrophic silo blast in 2024.