VLADIMIR Putin vowed to deploy his hypersonic “Satan-2″ nuclear-capable missiles in a chilling new threat to the West.
The Russian leader said that the new generations of the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missiles – thought to be the world’s most powerful – would soon be deployed for combat duty.
In a speech to newly graduated soldiers, Putin warned: “In the near future, the first launchers of the Sarmat complex with a new heavy missile will go on combat duty.”
He also stressed the importance of Russia’s “triad” of nuclear forces that can be launched from land, sea or air.
“The most important task here is the development of the nuclear triad, which is a key guarantee of Russia’s military security and global stability,” he said.
Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu also warned the military graduates that the “collective West” was waging a “real war” against Russia.
The new 208-ton hypersonic Satan-2 rocket measures 116 feet in length and can be loaded with 15 light nuclear warheads at once.
The weapon was designed to carry out nuclear strikes in countries thousands of miles away in the US and Europe.
It has the potential to obliterate the United Kingdom some 1,600 miles away in just six minutes.
And with an operational range of up to 11,180 miles, the deadly missile is reported to have no equivalent in the West in terms of the terror it could unleash.
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In February, Putin reportedly tested his hypersonic Sarmat missile while US President Joe Biden was visiting Ukraine and meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky.
However, its deployment has proceeded slower than planned, as Russia had claimed they would be in place last autumn.
Dmitry Rogozin, former head of Russia’s space agency, hailed the new “super-weapon” as an historic event that would guarantee the security of Russia’s children and grandchildren for the next 30-40 years.
It comes as Biden warned that the threat of the Russian President using tactical nuclear weapons is “real”.
He referred to Putin’s decision to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in neighbouring Belarus as “absolutely irresponsible”.
Putin has repeatedly said since the start of the Ukraine conflict that Russia is ready to use all means, including nuclear weapons, to defend its “territorial integrity”.
Last week, the city-killer nuclear weapons arrived on Belarusian soil and puppet President Alexander Lukashenko claimed he “won’t hesitate” to use them.
The addition of nuclear weapons to Belarus provides Russia with an advantage, as they can now strike within NATO territories.
Last year, Putin claimed to be placing territories illegally seized from Ukraine under Moscow’s nuclear umbrella.
However, last week Putin boldly trumpeted that Ukrainian forces had “no chance” in their current counteroffensive, and Russia had no need to resort to nuclear weapons.
