Russia is reportedly preparing to test a new nuclear-powered cruise missile, the Burevestnik, which could be launched as soon as this week.
Reuters reports this, citing two American researchers, a Western security source and the Norwegian military. The researchersʼ conclusions were influenced by an analysis of satellite images.
Jeffrey Lewis of the Monterey Institute of International Studies in California and Decker Evelet of the CNA think tank in Virginia say satellite images show active activity at the Pankovo test site on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago in the Barents Sea.
The number of personnel and equipment has increased there, and signs of probable preparation are indicated by the presence of ships and aircraft that previously participated in the tests of the 9M730 Storm Petrel missile.
"We see all the activity at the range — both the large volumes of supplies being brought in to support operations and the movement at the location where the missile is actually launched from," Lewis said.
Satellite images show containers, equipment and personnel arriving at the test site since late July. In addition, two aircraft equipped to collect test data have been stationed at the Rogachevo military airfield on the archipelago since mid-July.
The researchers also spotted at least five ships that had participated in previous tests in the images. According to the ship-tracking website VesselFinder.com, another ship that had also previously participated in the tests was due to arrive on August 12. Reuters confirmed that the website showed the cargo ship Teriberka sailing to Novaya Zemlya.
A Western intelligence source confirmed that Russia is preparing to test the Burevestnik. The Pentagon, CIA, and Russian Defense Ministry declined to comment. Experts and researchers say the test was planned long before the Trump-Putin meeting was announced.
Reuters obtained satellite images from August 7 showing a launcher under a protective cover, stacks of containers, a crane to move them, and a helicopter.
And in late July, one of the researchers noticed that the protective canopy for the Burevestnik launcher was being moved back and forth, which he called “very clear evidence” of plans to conduct the test.
Experts and researchers say the test was planned long before the Trump-Putin meeting was announced. One of them says the missile could be tested as early as this week. Russia on August 6 issued a warning to sailors banning entry into the zone from August 9 to 12.
Reuters also found a series of messages in the US Federal Aviation Administration database, published by Russia, that indicated a possible launch window of August 9 to 22.
The Norwegian military told Reuters that the Barents Sea is a “key location for Russian missile testing” and that they have data from warnings and mariners’ notices about “test preparations”. However, they said they “cannot confirm which munitions are planned to be tested”.
What is known about this new Russian missile?
Putin has called the SSC-X-9 Skyfall missile, known as the Burevestnik, “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.
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