Russia’s President Vladimir Putin on Sunday announced the successful final test of the country’s new nuclear-powered cruise missile, the Burevestnik, describing it as a strategic weapon with “unlimited range” and unmatched global capability.
“The decisive tests are now complete,” Putin said in a video released by the Kremlin during a meeting with senior military officials. He directed the defence establishment to begin preparing the infrastructure required to deploy the missile into active service.
Putin hailed the Burevestnik as a “unique creation that no one else in the world possesses,” while Russia’s Chief of General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, said the missile flew for 15 hours and covered about 14,000 kilometres during its most recent test on October 21 — a distance he noted was “not the upper limit” of its range.
“The technical characteristics of the Burevestnik allow it to strike with guaranteed precision against highly protected targets anywhere in the world,” Gerasimov added.
The missile project, first unveiled by Putin in 2018, was touted as part of Russia’s effort to counter perceived U.S. military threats and to develop weapons capable of bypassing any defence system.
The announcement comes as Russian forces continue to make slow but steady advances in Ukraine, with heavy casualties reported on both sides.
Peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv remain stalled despite efforts by U.S. President Donald Trump, who has vowed to end the war swiftly upon returning to the White House in January.
However, relations between Washington and Moscow have grown tense in recent days. Trump imposed sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil companies on Wednesday, complaining that negotiations with Putin over Ukraine “don’t go anywhere.”
He also downplayed the likelihood of a new summit with the Russian leader, saying on Saturday that he was “not going to be wasting my time.”
Despite this, sources told AFP that Kremlin negotiator Kirill Dmitriev met with Trump administration officials over the weekend for further discussions expected to continue on Sunday.
Putin, meanwhile, said he would not tie military operations in Ukraine to political timelines. “We are not going to align anything with any dates or events… we will base our actions on military rationality,” he said.
Elsewhere, a Russian drone attack on Kyiv overnight killed three people and injured dozens, according to the city’s mayor. In Russia’s Belgorod region, a Ukrainian drone strike reportedly killed one person and wounded another.
