Russia’s new missile system SATAN-II now operational, Russian official says in a statement

Russia, in a statement, said that its latest nuclear weapons system, the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, has now been placed on combat duty according to CNN. Yuri Borosiv, the director general of state space coordination ROSCOSMOS in a statement said that the SARMAT strategic complex has been put on combat duty. As per CNN, the SARMAT will replace Soviet Era Voevoda missiles known by the NATO designation SS18 Satan in Russia’s strategic arsenal.

As SS18’s successor, the SARMAT has been nicknamed SATAN-II by the West. In April, last year Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that SAMRAT would be able to carry several nuclear bombs as far as the United state's continental territory. He also said it would give thought to those trying to threaten Russia according to CNN.

Russia’s new missile system SATAN-II

The RS-28 SARMAT unofficially known as SATAN II is a Russian liquid-fueled, MIRV-equipped superheavy intercontinental ballistic missile. It has been produced by the Makeyev rocket design bureau since 2009. It is intended to replace the R-36M ICBM in Russia’s arsenal.

The SARMAT is one of Russia’s strategic weapons unveiled by Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 1, 2018. The RS-28 SARMAT made its first test flight on April 20, 2022. On August 16, 2022, a state contract was signed to manufacture and supply Sarmat strategic missiles. The missiles officially entered combat services in 2023.

The RS-28 SARMAT is capable of carrying 10 tonnes of payload for either up to 10 heavy or 15 light MIRV warheads and up to 24 Avangard Hypersonic glide vehicles or a combination of warheads and several countermeasures against anti-ballistic missile systems. This is Russia’s response to American Prompt Global Strike systems. SAMRAT has a short boost phase which shortens the interval when it can be tracked by satellites with infrared sensors such as US space-based infrared systems making it more difficult to intercept. The SAMRAT can fly trajectory over the South Pole which would require fractional orbital bombardment (FOBS) capability, and is claimed to be completely immune to any current or prospective missile defence system.

The Missile Defence Project at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies estimates that the SARMAT can carry up to 10 independently targeted nuclear bombs with an 18,000-kilometer range. It is expected to replace the Voevoda missiles. Hans Kristensen, director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists, compared SATAN-II to the makeover for the Soviet Era SS-18 even though he conceded that there were likely some improvements beneath the hood.

CNN in a report while citing Kyiv officials said that Russia on Thursday started holding regional elections in the occupied areas of Ukraine. Ukraine has condemned the move and has urged its citizens in the occupied areas not to vote in upcoming elections planned by Russian-appointed officials and added that they should leave the region if possible. Russians have started holding elections in occupied areas in Ukrainian territory to pseudo-local councils and legislative bodies in temporarily occupied territories as per CNN and quoted by Ukraine’s National Resistance Centre (NRC), an official agency as saying.