VLADIMIR Putin successfully test-launched a terrifying “Skyfall” nuclear missile and began preparations for its deployment.
The Russian president said his menacing 9M730 Burevestnik missile was a “weapon of unlimited range powered by a nuclear engine.”
Its much-hyped superweapon will be met with skepticism in the West, as the history of the missile’s development was previously marred by failures and delays.
But the last supposedly successful missile traveled 14,000 kilometers and was in the air for about 15 hours, Russian Army Senior General Valery Gerasimov said.
Putin also boasted that his new weapon was “invincible” against current and future missile defense systems.
Dubbed SSC-X-9 Skyfall by NATO, the Burevestnik missile is about 12 meters long and carries a thermonuclear warhead.
It was first introduced in 2018 and was one of six Russian “super weapons” touted by Putin.
Its sister projects included the Satan 2 (or Sarmat) nuclear missile, the Zircon, Avangard and Kinzhal hypersonic weapons, and the Poseidon underwater nuclear drone.
The Burevestnik is now in its final stage of development before being deployed to the front, Putin said.
The Russian despot made the explosive announcement during a visit to a Russian army command post on Sunday.
Putin said: “It is a truly unique system, one that no other country in the world possesses.”
The test launch reportedly took place earlier in the week before it was announced this weekend.
Last year, satellite images showed the top-secret launch site for Putin’s feared Skyfall nuclear weapons.
A pair of American investigators discovered the deployment site in Vologoda.
Putin has previously called it “a radically new type of weaponry” with “unlimited range and unlimited maneuverability.”
Burevestnik – which means “petrel” in Russian – was described byus armyauthorities in 2021 as a “unique weapon with intercontinental range capability.”
It comes after another major bombing raid on Ukrainian cities on Saturday night.
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