Russia has successfully launched its ‘Satan’ missile, capable of firing up to 12 nuclear warheads at once, Vladimir Putin has claimed. The launch of the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile will give “food for thought for those who try to threaten Russia,” the Russian president warned.
The missile, nicknamed Satan 2, can fly 6,000 miles, carry 15 warheads, and has the potential to destroy an area the size of France. It was successfully launched from Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Arkhangelsk Oblast, northwestern Russia, according to Russian state media outlet RIA Novosti.
Video shows the enormous 115-foot missile being launched from an underground silo, triggering an enormous fireball. It traveled almost the entire length of Russia – almost 3,600 miles – in around 15 minutes.
The Kremlin claims the unmatched 16,000mph missile, which has been in development for years, could destroy the UK, hit any target on earth, and carry 12 nuclear warheads. It is among Russia’s next-generation missiles that Putin has called ‘invincible,’ and which also include the Kinzhal and Avangard hypersonic missiles.
Putin was shown on TV being briefed by the military that the missile, expected to go into service this year, had been launched from the country’s northwest and hit targets in the Kamchatka peninsula in the far east.
He told the army: ‘I congratulate you on the successful launch of the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile. ‘This truly unique weapon will strengthen the combat potential of our armed forces, reliably ensure the security of Russia from external threats and make those who, in the heat of aggressive rhetoric, try to threaten our country, think twice.’
Last month, Russia said it used Kinzhal for the first time in warfare to strike a target in Ukraine. Putin added today: ‘The new complex has the highest tactical and technical characteristics and is capable of overcoming all modern means of anti-missile defense. It has no analogs in the world and won’t have for a long time to come.
‘This truly unique weapon will strengthen the combat potential of our armed forces, reliably ensure Russia’s security from external threats and provide food for thought for those who, in the heat of frenzied aggressive rhetoric, try to threaten our country.’
