Overview
- Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces said they test-fired the RS-28 Sarmat on Tuesday, and state media showed the commander briefing President Vladimir Putin by video link.
- Putin said the first Sarmat regiment will be placed on combat duty by year’s end in the Uzhur formation of Krasnoyarsk Krai, fielding the heavy, silo-based missile to replace Soviet-era Voyevoda units.
- Moscow claims the missile can fly suborbitally with a range beyond 35,000 km and deliver multiple warheads with a total yield more than four times that of Western equivalents, with counters to current and future missile defenses.
- The program has a mixed record that includes long delays and a reported 2024 silo explosion at Plesetsk that left a large crater, with only one publicly known successful test before 2026.
- Outside confirmation of Tuesday’s performance has not been reported, and Western analysts urge caution on Russia’s claims as New START limits have expired and Putin says other systems, including Poseidon and the nuclear-powered Burevestnik, are in final development.