Russia has tested a new intercontinental ballistic missile as part of its efforts to modernise its nuclear forces, and President Vladimir Putin has hailed the launch just days after his claim that the fighting in Ukraine is nearing an end.“This is the most powerful missile in the world,” Putin said of the Sarmat missile on Tuesday, adding that the combined power of its individually targeted warheads is more than four times that of any of its Western counterparts.Putin said the nuclear-armed Sarmat missile will enter combat service at the end of the year. It has been built to replace the ageing Soviet-built Voyevoda.What is the Sarmat?The RS-28 Sarmat, called “Satan II” in the West, is an intercontinental ballistic missile – a land-based guided missile designed for the delivery of nuclear weapons with a minimum range of 5,500km (about 3,400 miles).Putin said on Tuesday that it has a maximum range of more than 35,000km (21,750 miles) – far more than any of its Western counterparts – and claimed it could “penetrate all existing and future antimissile defence systems”.Western analysts have estimated an actual maximum range of about 18,000km (11,000 miles), however.The missile has been in development since 2011 and will replace about 40 Soviet-built Voyevoda missiles.One test in September 2024 reportedly ended in an enormous explosion.After Tuesday’s test launch, Putin said the Sarmat – one of a …
