Putin Walks Back on Sarmat Missile Deployment, Promises Future Readiness

On Wednesday, President Vladimir Putin acknowledged that Russia’s new intercontinental ballistic missile, the RS-28 Sarmat, is not currently in active service but promised that deployment would occur “soon.”

“It’s not yet operational, but it will be shortly,” Putin stated to injured soldiers at a military hospital in Moscow.

The missile, referred to as «Satan 2» by Western experts, has the capability to carry multiple nuclear warheads and is part of Russia’s next-generation missile arsenal, which Putin has claimed to be “unmatched.”

In 2023, Russia’s space agency Roscosmos reported that the Sarmat was ready for operational use after Putin introduced it in 2018.

“There’s nothing like it in the world,” he expressed while addressing the wounded soldiers on Wednesday.

However, the missile’s testing history has raised concerns. Analysts using open-source information noted in September 2024 that a Sarmat missile failed during a test, resulting in a significant crater seen in satellite images. The Kremlin chose not to comment on this alleged failed test.

The only verified successful test occurred in April 2022.

During his meeting with the injured soldiers, Putin conceded that the Sarmat is less powerful than the Poseidon nuclear-powered autonomous torpedo, which he claimed has undergone successful tests.

On Sunday, Putin also revealed that Russia successfully tested the Burevestnik nuclear-powered intercontinental cruise missile earlier in October.

Trump characterized that military exercise as “inappropriate.”