Strategic Missile Forces commander Sergei Karakayev reported to Vladimir Putin that Russia had carried out a successful launch of the Sarmat missile system.
The test reportedly took place today at 11:15. Russia’s Defense Ministry released footage of the launch. Military analysts had not commented on the test at the time of publication.
What Putin said
Putin congratulated the Russian military on the successful Sarmat launch and said it was the “most powerful missile system in the world.” According to him, the system is to be placed on combat duty by the end of the year.
He also said that the Oreshnik missile system had been placed on combat duty last year. The politician added that it could be fitted with nuclear warheads in the future. Putin also said work on the Poseidon and Burevestnik systems was in its final stage.
What is known about Sarmat
The Sarmat (RS-28) missile system is considered Russia’s most powerful intercontinental missile. Its maximum range is estimated at 18,000 km, although Putin said that day that Sarmat could strike targets at distances of up to 35,000 km.
Development of the system began in 2011. It was meant to replace the Soviet-era Voevoda missiles. In 2017, the first pop-up tests began, checking launch equipment and the missile’s behavior in the first seconds of flight. Full flight tests started in 2022.
Sarmat missiles are manufactured by the Krasnoyarsk Machine-Building Plant, Krasmash. A week earlier, law enforcement officers detained the plant’s director, Alexander Gavrilov, in a bribery case.
Failed launches and deadlines
According to media reports, since 2022 Russia has attempted to launch the Sarmat missile seven times. Only two tests were reported successful: the current one and the launch in April 2022. At least five tests ended in failure.
In particular, in November 2025, Sarmat reportedly broke apart in the air over the Orenburg region because of an engine fire. In September 2024, the missile exploded directly in its silo, and satellites recorded a large crater in Plesetsk.
ASTRA notes that since 2021, Putin has promised at least ten times to place Sarmat on combat duty, but those deadlines were repeatedly postponed. Today he again said it would happen by the end of the year.