Putin’s Latest Test Launch of Satan II Missile May Have Failed, Reports Say
Russia’s planned test of a nuclear-capable ballistic missile may have failed at launch, according to two US officials quoted by CNN. The White House was notified by the Kremlin via decon conflict channels ahead of the scheduled test, but it’s unclear whether the test was launched while President Joe Biden was in Ukraine or before. The Kremlin was briefed on Biden’s trip to Kiev ahead of his departure.
Officials believe the test should have been one of the highlights of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s State of the Union address on Tuesday, but the authoritarian leader made no mention of it during his speech, which lasted an hour and 45 minutes. This has led the US to believe the launch failed.
However, Putin did not lack for highlights in his annual address. He announced that Russia would suspend its participation in the New START nuclear deal with the US, the last major deal between the two nations, which together have 90% of the world’s nuclear weapons.
The treaty limits the number of strategic nuclear warheads the two countries can deploy to 1,550 on rocket launchers and heavy bombers for each side. The US had already said last month that Russia was in breach of the treaty when it refused to allow on-site inspections at its nuclear facilities and ignored requests to discuss the matter.
RELATED: Russia suspends nuclear arms deal with United States
The failed test launch was for Satan II, or Son of Satan, a SARMAT Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM). The liquid-powered missile can launch multiple nuclear warheads at a range of over 6,835 miles. Russia had successfully tested ICBMs in the past – the last time in April, also for Satan II.
Satan II as a distraction for failures
The April 2022 test, which took place a few months after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, was believed to be an attempt to divert attention from Russia’s military failures at the time, including the sinking of the Moskva, the Black Sea flagship. Putin then warned that the missile would be “thinking of those trying to threaten Russia.”
The new test could also have served to distract from the ongoing failures of its “military special operation” in Ukraine, which celebrates its first anniversary this week. Russian forces continue to control about a fifth of Ukraine, but have suffered heavy defeats and setbacks on the battlefield over the past year.
In his speech, Putin focused his narrative on blaming the West for starting the conflict.
“The Ukrainian people have become hostage to the Kiev regime and its Western overlords, who have effectively occupied this country in political, military and economic terms,” he said.
“They intend to turn a local conflict into a phase of global confrontation. This is exactly how we understand it and we will react accordingly, because in this case we are talking about the existence of our country.”
NATO Concerned Beijing May Help Russia (Or Some Weapons)
NATO has expressed concern that China may consider supplying arms to Russia, which would escalate the war into a larger confrontation – one with Russia and China joining forces on one side and Ukraine with NATO on the other the other side.
Hours after Putin’s speech, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called on NATO members and EU member states to continue supporting Ukraine to help defeat invading Russian forces.
“Putin must not win,” said Stoltenberg.
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