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Russia Tests Nuclear-Capable Missile With Range to Reach the US Days After CIA Director’s Moscow Visit
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Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces conducted a training launch of a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in the Arkhangelsk region on August 28.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the test was executed to confirm the technical and flight characteristics precise which system, and the warheads successfully hit their targets at the Kura test site on the Kamchatka Peninsula, as reported by The Moscow Times.
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The exercise involved relocating a mobile ground-based missile system launcher battery to a remote region for launch preparation and execution.
While military officials did not name the specific missile tested, solid-fuel systems in the Russian arsenal include the Topol and Yars missiles, which have a range of 10,500 kilometers and are capable of reaching the territory of the United States.
The class of missiles tested includes Topol variants carrying a single 800-kiloton warhead and Yars variants equipped with four 250-kiloton warheads. According to SIPRI , Russia has 271 missiles from these two classes—78 Topols and 193 Yars. The two systems form the core of Russia’s land-based nuclear arsenal, which consists of 321 ICBMs, or 56% of the country’s strategic nuclear forces.
According to The Moscow Times, the missile exercise took place three days after CIA Director John Ratcliffe completed an unannounced visit to Moscow. Reports indicate Ratcliffe met with FSB chief Alexander Bortnikov to deliver a grave assessment of the Russian economy and military performance during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
US officials dispatched the CIA Director directly to ensure the communication reached Russian leadership outside traditional diplomatic channels, with the goal of warning against escalation with NATO and potential aggression toward Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, according to sources cited by The Wall Street Journal.
Despite economic pressures and long-range strikes inside Russian territory, Kremlin leadership reportedly maintains its stance against concessions regarding Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and is planning further operational escalation.
Officials in Moscow increasingly view the potential use of tactical nuclear weapons as an option, according to sources close to the Kremlin cited by Bloomberg. SIPRI reports that Russia holds the world's largest inventory of tactical nuclear warheads with 1,816 units, compared to 200 held by the United States. These include warheads ranging from 10 to 100 kilotons designed for use with Iskander missile systems, of which Russia maintains 150 units.
Russia also planned to produce approximately 10,000 new Dan-T cruise missiles in 2027 to expand its strike capabilities during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The prospective weapon was designed to target armored vehicles, fortified field positions, and light infrastructure, with a flight range of 500 km and a 135 kg warhead.
Ukrainian intelligence noted that Russian defense authorities prioritized domestic components for the missile, which could be launched from both ground and aerial platforms, while offering a cost reduction of roughly 35% compared to older systems like the Banderol.
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