WAR MACHINE
PUTIN is rushing through the testing of his deadly "mystery hypersonic nuclear missile" with an UNLIMITED range, according to chilling new satellite images.
The Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile, dubbed a "flying Chernobyl" by experts, was reportedly spotted this month at a testing site in a remote area of northern Russia.
8
8
8
This month, an expert discovered images reportedly showing the fearsome missiles being prepared at the remote former Soviet nuclear testing range at Novaya Zemlya, way up in the Arctic Circle.
Based on the pictures, the Burevestnik missile's transport tank has recently been moved in front of the launch rails at the infamous Pankovo site.
Support ships have also been scrambled to the site, including the enormous nuclear-powered cargo ship Sevmorput.
Military analyst Tony Roper, who has spent years studying satellite images from Novaya Zemlya obtained new pictures last weekend, which he shared on his personal website.
READ MORE ON RUSSIA & UKRAINE
"It is definitely Burevestnik," he told The Barents Observer.
The images, taken from a space image snapped by Airbus on September 16, purportedly show that Burevestnik has been prepped for launch at the Pankovo base.
A canister, similar to one previously seen in a video published by Russia's Defence Ministry can be seen next to the rails on a launch pad covered by a retractable shelter.
Other smaller infrastructure improvements appear to have been put in place around the base over the summer as the war in Ukraine has raged on.
Most read in US News
These include a new jetty on the shore where equipment is landed from ships in the freezing Barents Sea before being transported to the base.
The road to the base has also been improved, while helicopters, new buildings, shelters, and concrete pads have been constructed.
It comes as Putin has stepped up his threats to nuke his enemies in the wake of his shambolic war in Ukraine.
This week, the mad tyrant gave a chilling address to his people in which he announced the partial mobilisation of his country, with up to 300,000 conscripts being called up for active duty.
Experts have told The Sun Online that Putin's nuclear threat is a "desperate bluff", but proves the twisted leader is prepared to up the stakes in a bid to save his doomed war.
It is definitely Burevestnik
Tony Roper
Putin's Burevestnik missile, known as Skyfall by NATO, was publically announced in March 2018 by President Putin in his annual address to the nation, alongside five other so-called "super weapons".
The fearsome missile - meaning "storm petrel" in Russian - is thought to have first been successfully test-fired in January 2020.
It was expected to be completed by 2025, but sources suggest its development has been sped up in the face of the ongoing war in Ukraine.
The nuclear-powered very-long-range missile was described by US military authorities in 2021 as a "unique weapon with intercontinental-range capability".
It is designed to carry a nuclear warhead, while a built-in mini-size nuclear reactor supposedly provides a range far longer than any previous non-ballistic cruise missiles.
The nuclear energy core in theory could let it fly around the world several times before hitting its target.
All you need to know about Russia's invasion of Ukraine
Everything you need to know about Russia's invasion of Ukraine...
- Why is Russia invading Ukraine?
- Will the UK go to war?
- How can I join the Ukraine foreign legion?
- What can I do to help Ukraine?
- Who is Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky?
- How much gas does the UK get from Russia?
- Is Russia a part of Nato?
- Does Russia have nuclear weapons?
- Why is Ukraine not in Nato?
- How big is the Russian army?
- What is Article 5 of the Nato treaty?
- What is the Minsk agreement?
- Which countries were in the Soviet Union?
- What does the Z mean on Russian tanks? Meaning behind symbols explained
- When will the Russia-Ukraine war end?
President Putin himself called it "a radically new type of weaponry" with "unlimited range and unlimited ability to manoeuvre".
It can also follow a flat flight path at extremely low altitudes, making it "invisible" as it flies below the range of most missile detection systems.
The warhead is just part of Putin's terrifying arsenal of up to 6,000 nukes and other super weapons.
However, such a bizarre experimental form of weapon comes with a number of drawbacks.
Just months after it was announced with fanfare by Putin, US intelligence sources reported that one of the missiles had been lost at sea in late 2017.
Such a small airborne reactor is highly unstable and is likely to lead to deadly radioactive isotopes being released into the atmosphere.
8
8
8
8
8
In 2019, it was linked to the deaths of at least five scientists after an accident in Nyonoska, northeastern Russia triggered a radiation spike "one thousand times higher than lethal".
The infamous accident took place in the White Sea while the team from the Russian nuclear energy firm Rosatom were salvaging material from a crashed Burevestnik missile.
An explosion took place killing five scientists and causing radiation levels to spike in the nearby city of Severodvinsk, home to almost 200,000 people.
Such missiles have been trialled before with limited success.
In the 1950s, as Cold War tensions soared, the US Air Force began developing its nuclear SLAM, or Supersonic Low Altitude Missile.
SLAMs were imagined to fly below the cover of enemy radar at supersonic speeds, sending thermonuclear warheads to up to 16 different targets.
But the project was eventually abandoned in 1964 after the development of intercontinental ballistic missiles and defensive ground radar advances effectively rendered the missiles obsolete.
Putin's announcement of partial mobilisation has sparked a reported exodus in Russia, as thousands try to flee the country ahead of getting handed their conscription papers to fight in Ukraine.
Read More on The US Sun
Thousands of protesters have been arrested across Russia, with some of the detained being handed conscription papers at the police station.
Other desperate Russian men have been trying to quickly get married in a bid to avoid the draft.
Help those fleeing conflict with The Sun’s Ukraine Fund
PICTURES of women and children fleeing the horror of Ukraine’s devastated towns and cities have moved Sun readers to tears.
Many of you want to help the five million caught in the chaos — and now you can, by donating to The Sun's Ukraine Fund.
Give as little as £3 or as much as you can afford and every penny will be donated to the Red Cross on the ground helping women, children, the old, the infirm and the wounded.
Donate here to help The Sun's fund
Or text to 70141 from UK mobiles
£3 — text SUN£3
£5 — text SUN£5
£10 — text SUN£10
Texts cost your chosen donation amount (e.g. £5) +1 standard message (we receive 100%). For full T&Cs visit redcross.org.uk/mobile
The Ukraine Crisis Appeal will support people in areas currently affected and those potentially affected in the future by the crisis.
In the unlikely event that the British Red Cross raise more money than can be reasonably and efficiently spent, any surplus funds will be used to help them prepare for and respond to other humanitarian disasters anywhere in the world.
For more information visit https://donate.redcross.org.uk/appeal/disaster-fund