Putin Says Russia Missiles Sarmat Will Enter Service by Year End

Russia test-fired a new intercontinental ballistic missile on Tuesday, and Vladimir Putin said the russia missiles program’s Sarmat would enter combat service at the end of the year. Putin described the nuclear-armed Sarmat as the most powerful missile in the world after the launch.

The test matters because the Sarmat is central to Russia’s effort to modernize its nuclear forces. The missile, designated Satan II by NATO, is meant to replace about 40 Soviet-built Voyevoda missiles.

Putin’s Sarmat Timeline

Putin said the Sarmat was built to replace the aging Soviet-built Voyevoda and said the missile has a higher precision than the Voyevoda. He also said the Sarmat can carry up to 10 tons in payload, fly on a suborbital trajectory, and reach more than 21,700 miles.

The missile’s development began in 2011. Before Tuesday’s launch, the Sarmat had only one known successful test, and the missile reportedly suffered a massive explosion during an abortive test in 2024. Putin said, “This is the most powerful missile in the world.”

Russia and the U.S. Pact

The Sarmat test comes after Russia’s last remaining nuclear arms pact with the United States expired in February. That expiration left no caps on the world’s two largest atomic arsenals for the first time in more than a half-century.

Russia has also commissioned the new nuclear-capable Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile. Russia used the conventionally armed version of the Oreshnik twice to strike Ukraine, adding another layer to a modernization drive that now includes both long-range strategic systems and shorter-range battlefield use.

For readers tracking what changes next, the key date is the end of the year, when Putin said the Sarmat will enter combat service. That gives Moscow a public deadline on a system that has moved from development in 2011 to a launch on Tuesday, with its wartime role now tied to Russia’s broader nuclear posture.