Recent reports indicate that Russia conducted a test of a nuclear missile shortly after President Vladimir Putin issued a strong warning to the United States and Western nations. Kremlin officials, speaking on television, announced that the Russian military launched a Yars ballistic missile capable of carrying multiple nuclear warheads. Video footage released by state-controlled Russian media depicted the missile being fired from a launcher.
Following one of his most contentious State of the Nation speeches in recent years, the video surfaced. In the address, the Russian leader cautioned NATO nations against deploying troops to Ukraine. Putin also emphasized Russia’s nuclear capabilities, asserting that continued provocation from the West would compel him to employ them.
In reaction to recent remarks by French President Emmanuel Macron, who proposed NATO’s deployment of troops to Ukraine to aid in its conflict against Russian forces, the 71-year-old president issued the warning. Macron, speaking during a press briefing, asserted that the West should pursue all means necessary to achieve their goal, including the possibility of Western soldiers joining Ukrainian forces in combat.
According to military analysts, the Yars ballistic missiles, also referred to as SS-29s, have the capability to attain speeds close to 32,000 kilometers per hour and are capable of carrying nuclear warheads weighing up to 500 kilotons. This payload is nearly 30 times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped by the United States on Hiroshima during World War II.
The Yars ballistic missiles have the capability to carry multiple warheads, enabling them to cause widespread devastation across a large area. Reports indicate that these missiles can be launched not only from silos but also from mobile platforms such as trucks and “nuke trains,” which traverse the Eurasian nation at high speeds.
The Russian armed forces stated that the primary objective of the launch was to verify the technical, tactical, and flight characteristics of the modern missile system.
