Moscow, Oct 5 (EFE).- Russian president Vladimir Putin Thursday announced the early start of “mass” production of the Sarmat heavy intercontinental ballistic missile, a strategic weapon that, according to Russia, nullifies the US missile shield.
“We have to finish some bureaucratic procedures, move to mass production and its commissioning. And we will do it soon,” he said during his speech at the Valdai Debate Club being held in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.
Putin stressed that Moscow has “practically” completed work “on the most modern types of strategic armaments” it announced in 2018, in particular the Sarmat, which is capable of carrying 10-15 individually guided nuclear warheads.
On several occasions, the head of the Kremlin assured that such a missile has a “practically unlimited range” and renders the US missile shield “useless”.
“We have successfully carried out the latest test with the nuclear-powered long-range cruise missile, Burevestnik,” he said.
The New York Times reported this week that a launcher stationed in the New Zembla archipelago, in the Russian Arctic, could be used for a test with the Burevestnik missile, which the Kremlin denied.
According to the US analysis center Nuclear Threat Initiative, Russia has conducted at least 13 tests of this missile between 2017 and 2019, which all failed.
Putin ruled out the need to modify Russia’s military doctrine, which provides for the use of nuclear weapons in only two cases: if Russia suffers a nuclear attack and if the existence of the Russian state is threatened, even if the aggression is with conventional weaponry.
“Nobody in their right mind would think of using nuclear weapons against Russia,” he said.
He warned that Russia’s response to an aggression would be “absolutely inadmissible” and would see “hundreds of missiles” being launched so that “no adversary would have a chance to survive”.EFE
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