Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Wednesday that Russia had successfully tested the Poseidon nuclear-powered super torpedo, which military analysts warn could devastate coastal areas by triggering massive radioactive ocean waves.
The announcement comes as US President Donald Trump intensifies his rhetoric against Moscow. In recent weeks, Russia tested its Burevestnik cruise missile on October 21 and held nuclear launch drills on October 22, signalling renewed nuclear competition.
Putin Boasts of Unstoppable Weapon
During a meeting with wounded soldiers at a Moscow hospital, Putin said the Poseidon test took place on Tuesday.
“For the first time, we managed to launch it from a submarine and activate its nuclear power unit,” he said, adding, “There is nothing like this.”
Analysts estimate Poseidon’s range at 10,000 kilometres and its speed at 185 kilometres per hour. Putin claimed the weapon was impossible to intercept.
A New Phase in the Nuclear Arms Race
The Poseidon, also known by NATO as Kanyon, is a 20-metre-long, 100-tonne underwater drone carrying a two-megaton warhead. Experts say it defies traditional nuclear deterrence rules and may use a liquid-metal-cooled reactor.
Putin said Poseidon’s power surpassed Russia’s advanced Sarmat intercontinental missile. He framed the weapon as a response to Washington’s 2001 withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and NATO’s expansion eastward.
After the Burevestnik test, Trump urged Putin to end the Ukraine war instead of pursuing new nuclear weapons.
