Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the specifications of the Sarmat missile system allow it to penetrate both existing and future missile defense networks.

On Tuesday, May 12, Putin received a report from Sergei Karakayev, commander of the Strategic Missile Forces, on the successful test of the Sarmat system. The colonel general said the positive launch results make it possible to place the first missile regiment equipped with the system on combat duty by the end of this year. The unit in question is the Uzhur formation in Krasnoyarsk Krai.

According to Putin, the missile can fly not only on a ballistic path but also on a suborbital trajectory. This gives it a range of more than 35,000 kilometers and, at the same time, doubles its accuracy indicators.

The Russian president said the new system is not inferior in power to Russia’s Soviet-era Voevoda missile system, which remains in service. He described Sarmat as the most powerful missile system in the world, adding that the combined yield of the warheads it can deliver is more than four times greater than that of any of the most powerful Western counterparts.

Putin also addressed work on other weapons systems. Projects involving two systems with compact nuclear power units are now in their final stage: the Poseidon unmanned underwater vehicle and the Burevestnik global-range cruise missile.

He separately mentioned the Oreshnik, a land-based intermediate-range system. Putin noted that it has been on combat duty since 2025 and can be fitted with nuclear warheads.

Work also continues on improving the Kinzhal, an air-launched intermediate-range hypersonic missile. Putin said the system has been on duty since 2017 and is already being used during the special military operation. Its further development is still under way, including efforts to improve accuracy when deployed with a non-nuclear payload.