Russian President Vladimir Putin has praised the successful testing of the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, describing it as the “world’s most powerful missile system” and an important pillar of Russia’s nuclear deterrence strategy. Speaking through a videoconference with Strategic Missile Forces Commander Sergei Karakayev on Tuesday, Putin congratulated military officials, scientists, engineers, and defence industry workers who contributed to the project.

Putin said Russia intensified efforts to modernize its strategic deterrence systems in the early 2000s after the United States withdrew from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in 2002. According to him, that decision forced Moscow to rethink its national security approach and invest in advanced weapons capable of bypassing modern missile defence systems. He claimed the Sarmat missile surpasses the capabilities of the Soviet-era Voyevoda system and stands unmatched globally. Putin stated that the missile’s payload power is reportedly more than four times greater than comparable Western systems.

The Russian leader also highlighted the missile’s ability to travel on both ballistic and suborbital trajectories, giving it an operational range exceeding 35,000 kilometres while improving strike precision. He added that the system is designed to evade both current and future missile defence technologies. Putin announced that the Sarmat missile complex is expected to enter active combat service before the end of the year.

During his remarks, he also referenced several other advanced Russian weapons systems developed in recent years, including the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle, the Kinzhal hypersonic missile, the Oreshnik medium-range missile system, and the Poseidon nuclear-powered underwater drone. He further stated that development work on the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile is nearing completion.

Concluding his address, Putin congratulated the Defence Ministry, researchers, engineers, manufacturers, and thousands of workers involved in the missile programme, calling the successful test a major achievement for Russia’s defence sector. Russia first revealed the Sarmat missile programme publicly in 2018 as part of its next-generation strategic weapons initiative.