- Russia claims successful test of the nuclear-powered Burevestnik cruise missile, asserting unprecedented range and ability to evade air defenses.
- The test heightens tensions amid stalled peace talks, Western sanctions, and NATO countermeasures, signaling coercive nuclear posturing.
MOSCOW — In a stark reminder of the high stakes hanging over Europe’s security landscape, Russia announced the successful test of its long-range, nuclear-powered Burevestnik cruise missile on Sunday, a weapon Moscow boasts can evade any known air defense system.
The revelation, delivered by President Vladimir Putin in a video appearance clad in camouflage fatigues, comes at a moment when diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine appear increasingly frayed, with fresh U.S. sanctions and European military pledges adding fuel to the fire.
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Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov framed the test as a routine measure to safeguard Russia’s interests, telling reporters it was part of the country’s “consistent working to ensure its own security” in the face of what he called “militaristic sentiment” from Europe.
The missile, known to NATO as Skyfall, reportedly covered 8,700 miles during the flight — a distance that, if accurate, would underscore its potential to strike targets across continents without refueling, thanks to its nuclear propulsion.
No One in the World Has This Technology
Independent verification of the claim remains elusive, but the timing couldn’t be more pointed: It followed the Trump administration’s rollout of sanctions targeting Russia’s vital oil and gas sector, moves that have already strained Moscow’s war economy.
Putin, addressing top military brass including Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, hailed the test as a milestone for a “unique product that no one in the world has.”
Gerasimov detailed that the missile stayed airborne for 15 hours, with additional launches of Yars and Sineva intercontinental ballistic missiles, as well as Kh-102 cruise missiles, all confirming “the reliability of Russia’s nuclear shield,” according to Putin.
This isn’t the first such display this month.
Just days earlier, on October 22, Putin personally oversaw a sweeping nuclear forces exercise involving Russia’s full triad — land-based missiles from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, submarine-launched Sineva ICBMs from the Barents Sea, and cruise missile strikes from Tu-95MS bombers.
The Kremlin described it as a “planned” drill to test command-and-control systems and staff readiness, with all objectives met.
These maneuvers haven’t gone unnoticed in Western capitals, where they’re viewed through the lens of Russia’s broader pattern of nuclear saber-rattling.
The exercises overlapped with NATO’s own annual Steadfast Noon nuclear deterrence drill, which wrapped up this week after involving some 70 aircraft from 14 allied nations, including F-35 fighters and B-52 bombers, operating from bases in the Netherlands, Belgium, the UK, and Denmark.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte emphasized that the alliance’s exercise was unrelated to current events, aimed solely at ensuring “our nuclear deterrent remains as credible, safe, secure, and effective as possible.”
Yet, for the first time, NATO opened parts of Steadfast Noon to journalists, a move some analysts see as a deliberate signal of transparency — and resolve — in response to Moscow’s posturing.
How About Peace Talks? What’s Happening Next?
The nuclear flexing arrives against a backdrop of stalled peace talks. Plans for a second summit between Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump, following their August meeting in Alaska, fell apart last week after a phone call between top diplomats.
Trump, speaking en route from Kuala Lumpur to Tokyo, didn’t mince words about the missile test, stating, “You’ve got to get the war ended. A war that should have taken one week is now in its soon fourth year. That’s what you ought to do instead of testing missiles.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov pushed back, accusing the U.S. of a “radical change” in its approach, shifting from long-term security guarantees to demands for an immediate cease-fire.
Lavrov made the remarks in an interview with Hungary’s Ultrahang YouTube channel, just after meeting North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui in Moscow to deepen military ties — including reports of Pyongyang supplying troops and missiles for Russia’s Ukraine campaign.
On the ground in Ukraine, the conflict grinds on with no end in sight.
Ukrainian forces reported repelling 42 Russian assaults near Pokrovsk over two days, bolstered by artillery and drones, even as Moscow’s troops pushed into several neighborhoods without gaining full control.
Russia’s Defense Ministry, meanwhile, claimed to have downed 193 Ukrainian drones, including 34 aimed at Moscow, with no reported damage.
Overnight, Ukraine’s air force tallied 100 Russian Shahed drones and decoys launched, 26 of which hit their marks, prompting emergency blackouts in Kyiv and surrounding areas as winter looms.
Airports like Domodedovo and Zhukovsky briefly shuttered due to the drone incursions.
Ukraine Doubles Down on Defense
European allies are doubling down on support for Kyiv, undeterred by the Kremlin’s warnings. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that France will deliver more Mirage jets and air defenses, while the UK commits additional missiles and aid for interceptor drone production.
This comes after the EU’s 19th sanctions package, which bans Russian liquefied natural gas imports — a blow timed closely with the U.S. oil sector penalties.
Broader context only amplifies the unease.
Russia’s Zapad 2025 exercises with Belarus in September involved tens of thousands of troops, nuclear-capable bombers, and simulations of nuclear strikes, including the new Oreshnik intermediate-range missile — capable of hitting Polish air bases in 11 minutes or NATO’s Brussels HQ in 17, per state media boasts.
Belarusian officials confirmed planning for tactical nuclear use during those drills, heightening alarms in Warsaw, Riga, and Vilnius.
NATO responded by reinforcing eastern flank defenses after Russian drones strayed into Polish airspace — an incident many in Warsaw deemed intentional.
Putin’s nuclear rhetoric has evolved over the war, from vague warnings in 2022 to doctrinal tweaks last November that lowered the threshold for use, now encompassing attacks on Russia or ally Belarus that threaten “sovereignty or territorial integrity.”
U.S. intelligence assesses that while threats persist, an actual strike remains unlikely, offering little military upside for Moscow.
Still, the pattern — drills, tests, doctrine shifts — serves as a blunt tool of coercion, aimed at eroding Western unity.
As winter sets in and the Ukraine frontlines harden, these developments leave Europe grappling with a familiar chill: the shadow of escalation in a conflict that’s already redrawn the continent’s map.
For now, leaders on both sides talk tough, but the margin for miscalculation feels thinner than ever.
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