Russia Seeks Intimidation With Its RS 28 Sarmat Nuclear Weapon

by Maya Carlin, Warrior contributor, Weapons

At the one-year mark of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine months back, President Vladimir Putin took to the stage to talk up his country’s nuclear arsenal. Among a series of provocative speeches filled with propaganda, Putin announced his plan to deploy new Sarmat multi-warhead intercontinental ballistic missiles in 2023.

Perhaps ironically, this weapon failed to test launch at the time due to a faulty second-stage rocket booster just three days prior to Putin’s big reveal.

Experts covering the Ukraine offensive have highlighted the lack of advanced precision-guided missiles possessed by Russian Forces.

In fact, Putin’s soldiers have had to largely rely on imports of Iranian-designed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in barrages. Since Moscow often exaggerates its weapons capabilities, the RS-28 Sarmat missile may not be as deadly as purported.

A Brief History of the “Satan-II” Missile

The Kremlin first announced the Sarmat missile’s progress back in 2014.

At this time, the weapon was intended to be ready for deployment by 2020. A few years later, prototype missiles were reportedly constructed, however, the test program was delayed due to quality assurance issues surrounding the missile’s hardware components.

By Late December 2017, the Sarmat flew in its first successful test launch. While the missile did fly several dozen kilometers out of the Plesetsk Cosmodrone in Arkhangelsk Oblast, it ultimately fell within the test range. Two subsequent test launches were carried out in 2018, which Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed were successful.