Russia is set to test an ‘unstoppable doomsday’ nuclear missile, new satellite imagery has suggested.
With the chilling nickname ‘flying Chernobyl’, this reported test comes as fears of World War III continue to grow.
That’s a phrase we’ve unfortunately been hearing more and more often over this year, with tensions and threats seeming to be increasing between Russia and the US.
Donald Trump has repeatedly bandied it about, having accused Ukraine’s Vlodymyr Zelenskyy of ‘gambling with WW3’ before further claims Vladimir Putin was preparing for just that.
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The Russian and American leaders are set for a ‘highly-anticipated’ face-to-face meeting on Friday (15 August), with Trump having previously called for Putin to end the war on Ukraine. And that comes after the US president was mocked by Russian media for moving two nuclear submarines.
Trump was accused of having a ‘temper tantrum’ as he decided there had been a ‘threat made’ by Russia. He said he was moving the subs to ‘protect our people’.
And with its own mega nuclear arsenal, Russia is now reportedly gearing up to do a new test on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago.
It’s suggested that there's set to be a launch of the 9M730 Burevestnik.
It’s reported that satellite imagery and activity have found that at least four Russian vessels (previously anchored near the test site) have now moved into observation positions in the eastern Barents Sea. Doing this is apparently pretty standard for large missile trials.
And it’s added that Russian aviation authorities have issued a Notice to Airmen covering 40,000 square kilometres over Novaya Zemlya – that went active at 8.00pm UK time on Thursday and runs until Tuesday night.
The ‘flying Chernobyl’ was announced by Putin back in 2018, and the leader has touted it as ‘invincible’. He said the nuclear-powered, nuclear-armed cruise missile has an almost unlimited range and can evade US missile defences.
Some Western experts disputed those claims, though and said that it wouldn’t add capabilities Moscow doesn’t already have. Plus, it’s said it risks a radiation-spewing mishap.
Back in September, it was said that the Burevestnik had a poor test record of at least 13 known tests with only two partial successes since 2016, according to the Nuclear Threat Initiative.
But little seems to be publicly known about the missile’s technical details, with Putin saying it would be ‘low flying’ with an unpredictable flight path.
A nuclear expert even called it a ‘uniquely stupid weapon system’ as it poses a threat to Russia itself – if that makes you feel any better.
Topics: Russia, Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump
Jess Battison