Russia said Wednesday it had tested the new Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, a strategic weapon that President Vladimir Putin said had no counterpart to anyone who would try to threaten Russia to reconsider. p>
Putin appeared on television to be informed by the military that the rocket had been fired from Plesetsk in the northwest of the country and hit targets on the Kamchatka Peninsula in the east. “The new system has the highest standards in terms of tactics and technology and is able to withstand all modern means of missile defense. “It's unparalleled in the world and it will not be for a long time,” Putin said.
“Russia's security from external threats and will force those who try to threaten our country through their overtly aggressive rhetoric to reconsider,” Putin said.
The Sarmat is a new heavy intercontinental ballistic missile that Russia intends to develop and carry 10 or more warheads each, according to the U.S. Congressional Research Service. This missile has been developed for years and its test launch is not a surprise to the West, but takes place at a time of extreme geopolitical tensions during the war in Ukraine.
Russia had informed the United States of the test launch of a Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, the Pentagon said, saying it was a “routine test” that posed no “threat” to Washington or its allies.
