Russia has successfully tested its nuclear-powered Burevestnik cruise missile, a nuclear-capable weapon Moscow says can pierce any defense shield, and will move towards deploying the weapon, President Vladimir Putin said on Oct. 26.
The test, alongside a nuclear drill last week, sends a message that Russia, in Putin's words, will never bow to pressure from the West over the war in Ukraine, as President Donald Trump takes a tougher stance against Russia to push for a ceasefire.
Russia's top general, Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general staff of Russia's armed forces, told Putin that the missile travelled 8,700 miles and was in the air for about 15 hours when it was tested on Oct. 21.
Russia says the 9M730 Burevestnik (Storm Petrel) — dubbed the SSC-X-9 Skyfall by NATO — is "invincible" to current and future missile defenses, with an almost unlimited range and unpredictable flight path.
"It is a unique ware which nobody else in the world has," Putin, dressed in camouflage fatigues at a meeting with generals overseeing the war in Ukraine, said in remarks released by the Kremlin on Sunday.