Russia Announces Successful Test Launch of New ICBM... 2000 Times the Power of Hiroshima Atomic Bomb

Putin "Will Make Enemies Rethink"
US Department of Defense "Routine Test... Not a Threat"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Russia announced that it has successfully conducted the first test launch of its new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), the RS-28 Sarmat missile. This move is interpreted as a direct nuclear threat demonstration to the United States and the West, aimed at weakening additional sanctions and the cohesion of allied cooperation. The U.S. government dismissed Russia's nuclear threat claims, stating that it was merely a routine test launch.

According to TASS news agency on the 20th (local time), the Russian Ministry of Defense stated in a press release, "At 3:12 PM Moscow time, the first test launch of the Sarmat missile was successfully completed at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Arkhangelsk Oblast," adding, "The test warhead accurately hit the designated area in the Kamchatka Peninsula. Once the testing process is completed, the Sarmat missile will be deployed in active service with the Strategic Missile Forces."

Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a televised speech immediately after the launch, said, "I congratulate the successful test launch of the Sarmat missile," emphasizing, "This unique weapon will strengthen our military's combat capability, firmly guarantee Russia's security against threats, and make adversaries reconsider their attempts to threaten Russia."

The Sarmat missile is the latest ICBM developed by Russia since 2009, with a maximum range of 18,000 km and a destructive power exceeding 2,000 times that of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945, making it a powerful strategic nuclear weapon. According to the Associated Press, the explosive power of a single Sarmat missile is estimated to be capable of completely devastating the entire country of France or the U.S. state of Texas.

However, the U.S. Department of Defense dismissed President Putin's nuclear threat remarks, downplaying the significance by stating it was a routine test launch. John Kirby, spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Defense, said, "Such tests are routine and not surprising, and are not considered a threat to the United States or its allies," adding, "Russia had appropriately notified us in advance of the test launch in accordance with its nuclear treaty obligations."