Putin Says Russia Will Deploy Sarmat Missile by Year-End
Russia test-fired a new missile on Tuesday, and Vladimir Putin said the nuclear-armed Sarmat would enter combat service at the end of the year. Putin called it the most powerful missile in the world after the launch, placing the weapon back at the center of Russia’s nuclear modernization effort.
Putin’s Sarmat timeline
The Sarmat is classified as a heavy intercontinental ballistic missile and was built to replace the aging Soviet-built Voyevoda system. Putin said the missile is as powerful as the Voyevoda but has higher precision, can fly on a suborbital trajectory, and can reach more than 21,700 miles.
Putin also said the Sarmat can carry up to 10 tons in payload and has an extended ability to penetrate prospective missile defenses. He said the system would replace about 40 Soviet-built Voyevoda missiles.
From 2011 to Tuesday
Development of the Sarmat began in 2011, and before Tuesday’s test it had only one known successful launch. The missile reportedly suffered a massive explosion during an abortive test in 2024, adding weight to the significance of this latest firing.
The timing also fits a broader Russian push to modernize its nuclear forces. Russia has also commissioned the nuclear-capable Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile, and the conventionally armed version was used twice to strike Ukraine.
Russia's nuclear weapons program
Putin said Russia was in the final stages of development of the nuclear-armed Poseidon underwater drone and the Burevestnik cruise missile. He first revealed the Sarmat in 2018 as part of a group of new weapons, and Tuesday’s test brought one of those programs closest to the deployment line.
The immediate marker to watch is whether Russia moves the Sarmat into combat service by the end of the year as Putin said. For now, the test gives Moscow a fresh claim for a weapon it says is meant to replace an older arsenal and broaden its ability to get through missile defenses.
