Moscow: Russia announced the successful completion of tests for its new nuclear-powered cruise missile, Burevestnik, as President Vladimir Putin convened with top military officials. The ‘decisive tests’ were reported finalized during Putin’s visit to a command post at an undisclosed location, where he received a briefing from Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov on the situation in Ukraine. The Kremlin published a video of the briefing.

According to Anadolu Agency, Gerasimov detailed that the missile’s latest test on October 21 involved a flight of approximately 15 hours, covering a distance of 14,000 kilometers (8,700 miles). Gerasimov emphasized that this is not the operational limit of the missile, prompting Putin to discuss the need to classify the weapon, explore its potential uses, and start preparations for its deployment infrastructure.

In relation to Russia’s strategic forces exercises, Putin remarked that the recent drills affirmed the reliability of Russia’s nuclear defense capabilities. He stated that these forces are fully capable of ensuring the national security of both the Russian Federation and the Union State of Russia and Belarus.

Putin highlighted the Burevestnik as ‘unique’ with ‘unlimited range,’ a project that was first announced in 2018. Meanwhile, the completion of these tests coincides with US President Donald Trump’s apparent dismissal of providing long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine, citing the complexity of their operation without comprehensive US training.

Putin has previously expressed concerns regarding the US supplying Tomahawks to Ukraine, warning of severe repercussions for US-Russian relations and a potential escalation in tensions. Despite Trump’s mediation efforts, peace negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv have stalled, leading to additional EU and US sanctions on Russia, which Putin claims will not significantly impact the Russian economy.