Russia Tests Giant Nuclear Missile for Combat Use
Russia test-fired a new Sarmat nuclear missile on Monday. The test is part of efforts to upgrade Russia's nuclear weapons.
President Vladimir Putin announced the news on television on May 12. He said the Sarmat will be ready for combat by the end of this year.
Putin called the test a major success. The missile was fired from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome launch site in Russia.
The head of Russia's missile forces reported results directly to Putin. The first Sarmat unit will be based in Krasnoyarsk Krai in Russia.
The Sarmat program had problems before including a failed test in 2024. The last US-Russia nuclear arms treaty expired in February 2026. There are now no limits on how many nuclear weapons either country can build.
Klear Note — Nuclear missiles are weapons that can destroy entire cities. Russia and the US had a treaty limiting their nuclear weapons until February 2026.
Key Terms 4
- Sarmat Russia's largest new nuclear missile, able to reach far targets
- intercontinental ballistic missile A long-range missile that can carry nuclear weapons across continents
- Plesetsk Cosmodrome A Russian military launch site in northern Russia
- nuclear arms treaty An agreement between countries to limit nuclear weapons