Trump scared of Putin’s new nuclear-powered missile? All about Russia’s ‘Flying Chernobyl’
&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Trump scared of Putin’s new nuclear-powered missile? All about Russia’s ‘Flying Chernobyl’")
Traditional Russian wooden nesting dolls, Matryoshka dolls, depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump. (Representative image) Photograph: (AFP)
Trump hits out at Putin’s new “Flying Chernobyl” missile, says Russia should “end the war” instead of testing nukes. Putin claims the nuclear-powered Burevestnik has “unlimited range” and can hit targets anywhere on Earth — here’s what makes it so dangerous.
US President Donald Trump on Monday (Oct 27) slammed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement of a new nuclear-powered cruise missile as inappropriate. Slamming Putin, the US president said that “He ought to get the (Ukraine) war ended.” This comes as Putin, on Sunday (Oct 26) announced the successful final test of Burevestnik missile, aka the “Flying Chernobyl”, which he said had “unlimited range”. Trump, who had promised to quickly end the war in Ukraine upon becoming president, told reporters aboard Air Force One that “a war that should have taken one week is now soon in its fourth year. That's what he (Putin) ought to do instead of testing missiles”. But, what exactly is the “Flying Chernobyl”? Specifications and more, here’s all you need to know.
Russia’s “Flying Chernobyl”: All we know
Putin on Sunday announced the successful final test of Russia’s new nuclear-powered cruise missile, the Burevestnik, describing it as a “unique creation that no one else in the world possesses”. Watch “A glimpse inside Russia’s top-tier arsenal”:
But what is so unique about the missile?
According to AFP, citing Russia's military chief of staff Valery Gerasimov, during its last test on October 21, the missile flew for 15 hours straight. However, this impressive flight is not the upper limit for the weapon, insisted Gerasimov. It is propelled by a nuclear-powered engine, which theoretically grants the missile unlimited range. The missile can be used at any distance, that too with guaranteed precision, he revealed. “The technical characteristics of the Burevestnik allow it to be used with guaranteed precision against highly protected sites located at any distance,” said Russia's military chief of staff.
What’s more, the missile, as per Putin’s original announcement from 2018, when he revealed that Russia was developing the missile, the Burevestnik, also known by its NATO designation SSC-X-9 Skyfall, can evade all defence systems. It also boasts an impressive notional range of up to 20,000 km (12,400 miles), according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
