The Kremlin strongman issued the warning to graduates of Russia’s military academies on Wednesday. Putin boasted that the 14-storey intercontinental ballistic missiles, officially known in Russia as the “RS-28 Sarmat”, had no competition in the world. “The Sarmat heavy intercontinental ballistic missile has been successfully tested,” the president told graduates in Moscow. “It is planned that by the end of this year, the first such group will be put into combat service.” Russia announced the first test launch of Satan-2 in April, and a month later, Dmitry Rogozin, head of Russia’s state space agency, Roscosmos, said the country’s arsenal would soon include 50 of the new missiles. “I suggest the attackers speak to us more politely,” Rogozin remarked darkly at the time. First introduced in 2018, the Satan-2 can carry 10 or more nuclear warheads and baits and has an estimated range of between 6,200 and 11,800 miles, which would allow the Kremlin to hit targets anywhere on the planet. Putin and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu at a wreath-laying ceremony in Moscow on Wednesday warned via REUTERSPutin that missiles have no competition in the world. In May, the Kremlin threatened to deploy Satan-2 missiles to strike Finland, the United Kingdom and the United States after Finnish President Sauli Niinisto signaled his country’s intention to join NATO. “If Finland wants to join this bloc, then our goal is perfectly legitimate – to question the existence of this state. That’s logical, “said Aleksey Zhuravlyov, deputy chairman of the Russian parliament’s defense committee. “If the United States is threatening our state, that’s good: Sarmat is here [Satan-2 missile] “For you, and there will be nuclear ashes from you if you believe that Russia should not exist.” “And Finland says it is one with the United States. Well, get in line. “ Speaking to military academics, Putin said his government was committed to modernizing and strengthening Russia’s armed forces amid “potential military threats and dangers.” Russian RS-24 Yars ballistic missiles roll over during Victory Day military parade in Moscow on May 9.AP “Among the priority areas is the equipping of troops with new weapons systems that will determine the combat effectiveness of the army and navy in the years and decades to come,” he said. Putin also praised the Russian soldiers and officers who took part in what is known in Russia as the “special military operation” in Ukraine, claiming that they acted “bravely, professionally, like real heroes.”
