Explained | Putin's 'unique weapon' Burevestnik with intercontinental range could hit US

President Vladimir Putin issued a stark warning to the West as he said that Russia could resume nuclear testing for the first time in over three decades and might withdraw its ratification of a landmark nuclear test ban treaty.

From Indian leadership to Canadian Nazi row, Putin discussed a range of issues as he addressed a meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club.

During the address, the Russian leader Putin mentioned the Burevestnik as he said that Moscow had successfully tested a nuclear-powered and nuclear-capable cruise missile. He said that the capabilities of the Burevestnik are unmatched.

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Putin said, "The last successful test of Burevestnik, a global-range cruise missile with a nuclear propulsion system, has been carried out."

What is Burevestnik and why does it matter?

Burevestnik is a ground-launched and low-flying cruise missile that is not only capable of carrying a nuclear warhead but is also nuclear-powered. Its name translates as "storm petrel". Putin first revealed the project in March 2018.

Russia has maintained secrecyoverBurevestnik but the West has gathered some information as reports saythat its nuclear propulsion gives the missile a much longer range than traditional turbojet or turbofan engines which are limited by how much fuel they can carry.

The Burevestnik would have a notional range of up to 20,000km, so could be based anywhere in Russia and strike targets in the United States, The International Institute for Strategic Studies said, quoting a specialist Russian military journal in 2021.

The journal also said the notional altitude of the missile was just 50-100 metres, much lower than a conventionally powered cruise missile, which would make it harder for air-defence radar to detect.

A 2020 report by the United States Air Force's National Air and Space Intelligence Center said that if Russia successfully brought the Burevestnik into service, it would give Moscow a "unique weapon with intercontinental-range capability".

For Russia, the development of the missile's nuclear propulsion unit has been a huge technical challenge, involving a number of test failures.

In 2019, at least five Russian nuclear specialists were killed in an explosion and radiation discharge during a test in the White Sea, and US intelligence agencies assumed it was part of a Burevestnik test.

When will it be expected to enter service?

Western experts long questioned whether the missile would actually enter service. The Nuclear Threat Initiative, a non-profit security organisation, estimated in 2019 that deployment could be a decade away.

According to the Nuclear Threat Initiative, Burevestnik's nuclear propulsion could enable it to stay aloft for days, if needed.

"In operation, the Burevestnik would carry a nuclear warhead (or warheads), circle the globe at low altitude, avoid missile defences, and dodge terrain; and drop the warhead(s) at a difficult-to-predict location (or locations)," it said.

Russia's stance on nuclear testing

Putin said that there is a possibility that Russia could resume nuclear testingand might withdraw its ratification of a landmark nuclear test ban treaty.

The United Nationssaid in a report that in the five decades between 1945 and 1996, over 2,000 nuclear tests were carried out — 1,032 of them by the US, 715 of them by the Soviet Union, and the rest by other countries.

But concerns mounted, over the impact of nuclear tests on human health and the environment, so theComprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) was signed in 1996.

It was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on 10 Sep in 1996, but has not entered into force, as some nations have not ratified the treaty.

It is a multilateral treaty that banned nuclear weapons test explosions and any other nuclear explosions, for both civilian and military purposes, in all environments.

It was signed by Russia in 1996 and ratified in 2000. The US signed the treaty in 1996 but has not ratified it, which was pointed out by Putin as he said that the Russian parliament, which is completely loyal to him, might want to withdraw ratification too.

"I am not ready to say whether we really need to conduct tests or not, but it is possible theoretically to behave in the same way as the United States," he said.

A year after launching a "special military operation" in Ukraine, the Russian leader said in February 2023 that if the US resumed nuclear testing, Russia would also do it.

Watch:Vladimir Putin issues fresh nuclear threat amid war in Ukraine

Experts said that Burevestnik and other new Russian strategic systems might complicate negotiations between Moscow and Washington over a replacement for the New START treaty, which limits the amount of nuclear weapons each side can deploy. The pact's future is uncertain, as Russia terminated its membership in February, and it is set to expire in 2026.

In a warning tone, Putin said that no one in the world in their right mind would use nuclear weapons against Russia and that potential enemies knew about Moscow's nuclear arsenal.

In response to a question, Putin said he was not ready to declare whether or not Russia needed to resume nuclear weapons testing, saying that "theoretically we could revoke ratification" of the international nuclear test ban treaty.

Putin did not say when the latest test took place, but the New York Times reported in October that it may have been recent, based on movements of aircraft and vehicles at a Russian base in the Arctic.

(With inputs from agencies)

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