Russia’s strategic weapons are at least 15–20 years ahead of their foreign counterparts in terms of technological sophistication, according to military analyst Yuri Knutov, who shared his assessment with aif.ru.

Knutov classified several of Russia’s latest developments as «doomsday weapons,» citing systems such as the Oreshnik missile complex and its medium-range ballistic missile of the same name, the intercontinental cruise missile Burevestnik, the heavy liquid-fueled ICBM Sarmat, and the nuclear-powered underwater drone Poseidon.

He noted that both Sarmat and Burevestnik are capable of circling the globe, while the Sarmat-when equipped with the hypersonic glide vehicle Avangard-is effectively impossible to intercept. Its speed reportedly reaches 27 Mach, rendering existing missile defense systems obsolete.

The expert predicted that the West may need at least another decade or two to develop technologies capable of countering systems like Sarmat and Avangard.

Knutov also emphasized the destructive potential of the Poseidon underwater drone, describing it as an autonomous torpedo powered by a nuclear reactor. When fitted with a nuclear warhead, he said, the system could annihilate an entire aircraft carrier strike group.