New Delhi: In remarks made on the eve of the first anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine, Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, said on Thursday that the deployment of a new intercontinental ballistic missile, hypersonic missiles, and nuclear submarines—all of which had been put off for a significant amount of time—would be a priority for the country, reported news agency Reuters.
President Putin stated that the delayed Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile will be deployed this year.
The liquid-fueled RS-28 Sarmat missile, which Western analysts have dubbed Satan 2, was first made public by Putin in 2018 and was supposed to have been used last year.
Putin has indicated that he is prepared to tear up the framework of nuclear arms control, including the big powers’ moratorium on nuclear testing, unless the West backs off in Ukraine, a year after ordering the invasion.
Putin attempted to emphasize Russia’s resolve in Ukraine on Tuesday by suspending a significant nuclear arms control treaty, announcing the deployment of new strategic systems in combat, and announcing that Moscow could resume nuclear tests.
Putin argued that Russia needed modernized armed forces to guarantee its sovereignty in an address for the “Defender of the Fatherland” public holiday, which was known in Soviet times as Red Army Day.
In an address that was shown on state television, Putin said, referring to nuclear missiles that are based on land, sea, and air, “as before, we will pay increased attention to strengthening the nuclear triad.”
