Overview
- Putin told wounded soldiers the Poseidon underwater system was launched from a carrier submarine and operated on its nuclear power unit for the first time during Tuesday’s trial.
- He asserted the drone cannot be intercepted and said its destructive power exceeds Russia’s Sarmat intercontinental missile, offering few technical details or test-location specifics.
- U.S. and NATO officials have not independently verified the Poseidon trial, and the Pentagon declined to comment on the Russian announcement.
- Days earlier, Gen. Valery Gerasimov reported a Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile test that flew about 14,000 km over roughly 15 hours while performing evasive maneuvers.
- President Trump criticized the Russian tests and urged an end to the Ukraine war; analysts and media highlighted potential threats to proposed U.S. missile-defense plans and warned of "radioactive tsunami" scenarios linked to Poseidon.