Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed on Thursday his nation has efficiently examined the nuclear-powered intercontinental cruise missile Burevestnik - dubbed within the West "Flying Chernobyl".

Appearing on the Valdai Discussion Club within the Black Sea resort of Sochi, the Russian chief stated, as reported by state news company RIA Novosti: "The last successful test of the Burevestnik, a global-range cruise missile with a nuclear installation and a nuclear propulsion system, was carried out."

This got here simply days after an analysis of satellite images of an Arctic base suggested Russia had or was about to conduct tests of the Burevestnik missile.

The satellite tv for pc imageries confirmed actions within the space resembling these noticed throughout earlier checks of the identical weapons in 2017 and 2018, the New York Times wrote.

Those checks had been deemed unsuccessful by Western observers.

Another check in 2019 reportedly killed seven folks after the missile crashed and exploded as workers tried to get better it.

Little particulars have been shared up to now by Russia in regards to the Burevestnik missile, also referred to as SSC-X-9 Skyfall, however it's believed it may carry each standard warheads in addition to a nuclear payload.

The Russian Ministry of Defence beforehand claimed the weapon is an intercontinental cruise missile with an virtually limitless vary because of its nuclear reactor, which permits it to stay within the air for an extended time frame.

The ministry additionally alleged the low-flying rocket cannot be detected by present Western air defence programs.

This missile is among the six strategic weapons unveiled by the Russian president throughout a speech to the Federal Assembly in March 2018.

While in Sochi, Putin additionally spoke of a second weapon he had first talked about 5 years in the past - the Sarmat missile system, dubbed Satan II by Western nations.

He stated: "We just need to finish some of the procedures in a purely administrative and bureaucratic way and move on to mass production and putting them on combat duty. And we will do this in the near future."

This seemingly contradicts what the Russian house company said final month, when it claimed the Satan II had been placed on "combat duty".

While discussing his nation's development on nuclear-capable weapons, Putin additionally listed the 2 most important the reason why he would resort to nuclear power: "A strike towards us, a risk to the existence of Russia."

In what appeared a warning to the West, he added that in the interim he does not see international situations threatening the existence of the Russian state. No particular person "in their right mind", he stated, would consider placing with nuclear energy his nation, arguing the "enemy would have no chance" of surviving Russian retaliatory strikes.

While threats of deploying nuclear weapons have come from Russia because the starting of the battle in Ukraine, Putin stated of Russia's defensive measures towards a doable strike towards his nation: "From the moment the launch of missiles is detected, no matter where it comes from - from any point of the world ocean or from any territory - such a number, so many hundreds of our missiles appear in the air in a retaliatory strike that there is no chance of survival there will be no single enemy left, and in several directions at once."