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Russia is to test the world’s biggest intercontinental ballistic missile by flying it over the South Pole, a report published by the country’s state news agency which was allegedly partially censored has claimed.<\/p>\n
The Kremlin will reportedly put on combat duty in December the first regiment with the Satan-2 intercontinental ballistic missile – known in Russia as Sarmat.<\/p>\n
Vladimir Putin appears set to flex his muscle and intimidate the West with his nuclear armament, despite the fact tests on the 208-ton intercontinental nuclear weapon haven’t yet been completed.<\/p>\n
Russian state news agency Tass reported that “even a truncated LCI [flight development tests], and assuming all launches are successful, would require several more launches, including via the South Pole”.<\/p>\n
The allegation regarding the South Pole was quickly removed from Tass’ website but remains in cached versions, it has been claimed.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: <\/strong> Vladimir Putin rattled after \u00a312m ‘drone killer’ system blown into smithereens<\/strong><\/p>\n The Tass article, dated November 19, still reports a source described as close to the Russian Defence Ministry.<\/p>\n Speaking about the Satan-2’s future, they claimed: “The first Sarmat regiment, consisting of a command post and several silo launchers will go on combat duty as part of the Uzhur missile formation of the Strategic Missile Forces in December of this year.”<\/p>\n A second Tass source claimed that the regiment set to adopt the nuclear weapon is “currently on experimental combat duty” when it comes to the formation it is set to adopt.<\/p>\n Don’t miss… <\/strong> According to existing practice in the Strategic Missile Forces, Tass explained, “a command post of a missile regiment and two silos are first placed on combat duty, then the number of installations is increased to the full complement”.<\/p>\n The flight tests for Satan-2 – a 15,880mph doomsday missile system as tall as a 14-storey tower block – are currently being carried out from the Plesetsk spaceport at the Kura training ground in the Kamchatka peninsula, far eastern Russia, according to Tass.<\/p>\n Russia is known to have confirmed only one successful test of Satan-2 so far, in April 2022.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/78\/590x\/secondary\/satan-2-nuclear-missile-russia-putin-5076017.jpg?r=1700505563357\"){kind=spacer}
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