Russia conducted ICBM test launch while Biden was in Ukraine, it failed: Report

A CNN report, citing two US officials, says that Russia carried out the test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) while President Joe Biden was in Kyiv, but it reportedly failed. The officials added that Russia had notified the United States about the launch in advance through deconfliction lines. Another official said that the test posed no risk to the United States and Washington did not see it as an escalation of any sort. 

Russia tested the heavy SARMAT missile, which is known as the Satan II in the West. The missile is capable of delivering multiple nuclear warheads and Moscow had already tested it successfully once earlier. However, this time around it seemed to have failed, the US officials said. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin did not mention the ICBM test in his Tuesday's State of the Nation address. US officials believe that he would have definitely mentioned it had it been a success. 

In his speech that lasted one hour and 45 minutes, Putin slammed the US for escalating the Ukraine situation. He said that Russia was only trying to defend itself and that the US was making the situation worse. 

Putin also announced that Russia is suspending the New START nuclear arms reduction treaty, although the foreign ministry later said that they will continue to observe restrictions on nuclear warheads.

The US and Russia have been communicating through several different channels this week for deconfliction purposes as the US officials had also notified the Russians on Sunday night, hours before Biden’s visit to Kyiv, that the president would be visiting the Ukrainian capital.
 

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