Vladimir Putin has delivered his annual State of the Nation address two weeks ahead of Russia’s 2024 presidential elections.
Much of his speech has revolved around the ongoing war in Ukraine, which many say will reach a crucial point this year.
In a message to Western nations who may be considering sending troops into Ukraine, Putin said: “They need to understand we too have weapons that can strike targets on their territory,” and threatened a “conflict with the use of nuclear arms and consequently the destruction of civilisation”.
Russia is known to have almost 6,000 nuclear warheads, and in recent years has announced developments about the missiles capable of firing potentially world-ending weapons.
One, its RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), is known in some circles as the Satan-2, and as of last year is thought to have been rolled out on “combat duty”.
Measuring a staggering 116 feet in length, the Satan-2 weighs 220 tonnes and is arranged as Multiple Independently Targetable Re-Entry Vehicles (MIRVs), meaning a single rocket can hit multiple targets at once.
Developed as a successor to the original “Satan” ICBM, also known as the R-36 or Voevada which dates to the Soviet era, it is thought to be able to carry 15 light nuclear warheads at once.
According to the US Center for Strategic and International Studies data, it covers a range of 6,200 to 11,180 miles, meaning it covers all of Europe and much of the US.
Putin has already spoken about the Satan-2 missiles and said that “make those who, in the heat of frantic, aggressive rhetoric, try to threaten our country, think twice”.
He added: “Putin adding this new missile to his pre-existing ‘overkill’ capability makes absolutely no difference to the effectiveness of our Trident nuclear deterrent submarines.”
Russia has made thinly veiled nuclear attack threats against the West ever since its invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, 2022.
At one point, Dmitry Kiselyov, a state television presenter, claimed that the Satan-2 was “capable of destroying an area the size of Texas or England.
