Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Russia had tested the Poseidon nuclear-powered torpedo the day prior.

The announcement came soon after Russia hailed a successful launch of the Burevestnik cruise missile – also powered by a nuclear reactor.

Putin, speaking to veterans from the Russian invasion of Ukraine at a local hospital, touched on the Poseidon and boasted of its successful testing a day prior.

He also said the weapon has no equivalent in speed or depth and argued that it cannot be intercepted, according to Russian state media RIA Novosti.

However, Putin disclosed few details of Poseidon’s testing, such as the range and location.

He then claimed the Poseidon’s power “significantly exceeds” that of the RS-28 Sarmat, Russia’s new strategic intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which is set to replace its Soviet predecessors.

The Sarmat’s testing in 2024 reportedly failed and exploded, destroying a launch silo at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in the Arkhangelsk Region. However, Putin said on Wednesday that the Sarmat will soon enter combat duty.

The public comments on the Burevestnik and Poseidon follow Putin’s earlier hints of a strategic breakthrough, which coincide with ongoing nuclear talks and disputes between Washington and Moscow.

At the time, Putin also referenced Washington’s reluctance to agree to a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) proposed by the Kremlin.

What is the Poseidon?

The Poseidon (NATO name: Kanyon), previously known by the Russian codename Status-6, is a nuclear-powered unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) developed by Russia.

While Moscow labeled it a drone, the system is essentially a nuclear-powered torpedo. A reactor would give it a significant boost in range.

An article by the US Naval Institute in May 2022 said it “has the potential to be both a strategic and tactical nuclear weapon and does not fall within the weapon definitions of the New START treaty.”

In January 2023, Russian media TASS claimed that Russia had already produced the first batch of Poseidons – to be deployed by the Belgorod nuclear submarine, according to Reuters – but Putin’s latest comments contradict TASS’s 2023 report.

Back in 2019, Russia also claimed to have planned to put 32 Poseidons on combat duty without specifying the timeframe – a plan likely stalled by the material setback from the Ukraine invasion.

Both the Burevestnik and Poseidon were among the five major nuclear-capable weapons programs announced by Putin in 2018, dubbed Putin’s superoruzhie (super weapons) – and later a sub-strategic system, the Zircon, as per a 2021 research by think tank Chatham House:

• RS-28 Sarmat – liquid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)
• Avangard – hypersonic glide vehicle
• Poseidon – nuclear-powered unmanned underwater vehicle
• 9M730 Burevestnik – nuclear-powered cruise missile
• Kh-47M2 Kinzhal – air-launched hypersonic ballistic missile
• 3M22 Zircon – scramjet-powered hypersonic anti-ship cruise missile