Putin hails successful test of nuclear-powered Burevestnik missile

Russia has successfully tested its nuclear-powered Burevestnik cruise missile, a nuclear-capable system that President Vladimir Putin claims can evade any existing missile defence network, according to a report in Reuters.

Putin on Sunday said that Moscow would now move towards deploying the weapon.

The announcement follows a large-scale nuclear exercise last week and underscores Russia’s message that it will not yield to western pressure over the war in Ukraine. The test also comes as US President Donald Trump adopts a tougher line on Moscow to push for a ceasefire.

According to General Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, the missile covered 14,000 kilometres (8,700 miles) and remained airborne for nearly 15 hours during its October 21 test. Moscow describes the 9M730 Burevestnik—known to NATO as the SSC-X-9 Skyfall—as an “invincible” weapon with near-unlimited range and an unpredictable trajectory.

“It is a unique weapon which nobody else in the world has,” said Putin, dressed in camouflage fatigues at a meeting with military commanders directing operations in Ukraine, according to a Kremlin transcript.

First unveiled in 2018, the Burevestnik has been portrayed by Putin as a strategic counter to US missile defence efforts, launched after Washington’s 2001 withdrawal from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and NATO’s subsequent expansion.

Putin on Sunday said that Russian experts had once doubted the missile could ever be developed, but now, its “crucial testing” phase had been completed. He instructed Gerasimov to determine how the weapon should be classified and to prepare infrastructure for its eventual deployment.

The timing of the test and Putin’s announcement in military attire from a wartime command post appeared intended to send a clear signal to both the West and Trump, the report said.

The White House did not immediately respond to requests for a comment by the news agency.

Message to Washington

For Trump, who has characterised Russia as a “paper tiger” for failing to quickly subdue Ukraine, the test serves as a reminder that Moscow remains a formidable nuclear power and expects its proposals on arms control to be taken seriously, the report said.

Putin’s broader warning to the West comes amid reports that the US has provided Ukraine with intelligence on long-range energy targets inside Russia. Following a Wall Street Journal report that the Trump administration had eased restrictions on Kyiv’s use of some western-supplied long-range missiles, Putin cautioned last Thursday that any attack on Russia would trigger a “very serious, if not overwhelming” response.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reinforced that warning in comments broadcast on Russian state television on Sunday.

Gerasimov noted that the Burevestnik had flown entirely on nuclear propulsion, making this test distinct due to its extraordinary flight duration. He said the missile could overcome any existing or future anti-missile systems.

Last week, Putin oversaw drills of Russia’s strategic nuclear forces across land, sea, and air to test their readiness and command coordination. Gerasimov said the exercises included the launches of Yars and Sineva intercontinental ballistic missiles, along with two Kh-102 air-launched cruise missiles.

“The so-called modernity of our nuclear deterrent forces is at the highest level,” Putin said, adding that Russia’s capabilities surpass those of any other nuclear-armed state.

In Ukraine, Gerasimov reported that Russian forces had encircled a large concentration of Ukrainian troops near Pokrovsk in Donetsk and were advancing in the Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Zaporizhzhia regions.