Overview
- Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces, which reported a successful launch Tuesday, aired footage of commander Sergei Karakayev briefing Vladimir Putin on the Sarmat test from Plesetsk.
- Putin called Sarmat the most powerful missile in the world and claimed its MIRV payload can exceed Western systems by more than four times with suborbital flight and a range beyond 35,000 km.
- Moscow said the first regiment will go on combat duty by the end of 2026 in the Uzhur formation in Krasnoyarsk Krai, positioning the new silo-based missile in central Siberia.
- Independent verification remains limited as analysts note Sarmat’s mixed record, including a reported failed launch in 2023 and a 2024 silo explosion, and many outside estimates cap its range near 18,000 km.
- The test comes after New START lapsed in February 2026, removing formal caps on U.S. and Russian strategic forces and raising the risk of faster nuclear modernization on both sides.