Norwegian intelligence reveals where Russia launched new nuclear-powered missile

Norwayʼs military intelligence has confirmed that Russia has tested the 9M730 Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile, which is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.

This was reported in a letter to Reuters by the head of the countryʼs military intelligence, Vice Admiral Nils Andreas Stensenes.

The Russian army launched a missile from the Arctic archipelago of Novaya Zemlya in the Barents Sea.

Putin announced the successful test of the missile on October 26. The Chief of the Russian General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, reported that it was conducted on October 21. According to him, the "Burevestnik" traveled 14 thousand kilometers and was in the air for 15 hours.

Putin ordered the preparation of infrastructure to place this weaponry in the Russian Armed Forces.

The next day, US President Donald Trump said that Putin “should be ending the war, not testing missiles”. He also emphasized that the United States has the world’s largest nuclear submarine “right off the Russian coast”.

What is known about this new Russian missile?

Putin called the “Burevestnik” missile (NATO reporting name: SSC-X-9 Skyfall) “invulnerable” to current and future missile defense systems. He said it can fly an almost unlimited distance and change its flight path, making it difficult to intercept.

Arms control experts say the missile has gained importance for Russia since the United States announced in January that it was developing a new missile shield, Golden Dome. Moscow likely sees the “Burevestnik” as a means of maintaining strategic superiority and deterring the United States.

At the same time, many experts doubt that the missile will actually be able to bypass missile defense systems. They also emphasize that its use does not give Moscow any fundamentally new capabilities compared to its existing nuclear arsenal and could be dangerous for Russia itself, since the missile can emit radiation during flight.

According to the Nuclear Threat Initiative, the history of the “Burevestnik” test is problematic: out of 13 known launches, only two were partially successful, which calls into question the reliability of this weapon.

In October 2023, Putin reported the “last successful test of the ʼBurevestnikʼ missile”. However, it has not been put into service since then.

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