The highly-hyped Russian missile that Vladimir Putin claimed had an “unlimited” range turned out to have a pretty short limit, with US military experts saying the rocket crashed after just 22 miles of flight.
The new missile was one of Putin’s “invincible” nuclear weapons unveiled earlier this year during a military speech; claiming Russia could now bypass all US security measures and strike “anywhere” in the world.
“Since its range is unlimited, it can maneuver as long as you want,” said the Russian leader. “For now, no one in the world has anything like this.”
Sources close to the Russian military now tell the Telegraph that US authorities believe all four test flights failed, with the longest flight lasting two minutes and crashing to the earth after just 22 miles.
Russian officials deny the report.
“Listen to the president of Russia Vladimir Putin and believe him,” said a spokesperson for the Kremlin.
Read the full story here.
COLD WAR 2: Putin Unveils ‘INVINCIBLE’ Missile, Says US ‘FAILED’ to Contain Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin raised eyebrows throughout Washington Thursday, unveiling a new intercontinental ballistic missile he referred to as “invincible” and saying the United States “failed to contain” Russia’s military expansion and global ambitions.
Putin was speaking at his annual ‘State of the Nation’ speech when he pulled back the curtain on his new missile arsenal, claiming the “hypersonic” weapon can’t be intercepted by US defenses.
“I want to tell all those who have fueled the arms race over the last 15 years, sought to win unilateral advantages over Russia, introduced unlawful sanctions aimed to contain our country’s development: all what you wanted to impede with your policies have already happened,” he said. “You have failed to contain Russia.”
Putin went on to directly threaten the US and European powers, adding that any “nuclear attack” on a Russian ally would be treated as a direct assault on Russia itself; a likely reference to the ongoing Syrian civil war.
“We would consider any use of nuclear weapons against Russia or its allies to be a nuclear attack on our country. The response would be immediate,” he added.
KREMLIN BACKS KIM? Putin Flies Nuclear Bombers Near South Korea, Japan
The Russian military sent a clear message to the United States, Japan, and other allies in the region on Thursday, when it flew nuclear-capable bombers and other spy planes near the Korean peninsula in protest of American war games in South Korea.
According to Reuters, Russia conducted the unusual operation to coincide with the massive war simulation currently under way. The games include tens of thousands of troops and simulate an all-out war on the Korean peninsula over the span of 10 days.
Russia, which has harshly condemned the drills, sent a pair of ‘Bear’ bombers to the region, accompanied by surveillance planes.
According to the Kremlin, the planes flew over international waters in the Pacific Ocean, the East China Sea, and the Sea of Japan; forcing South Korea to scramble fighter jets to intercept the intruding aircraft.
“At certain stages of the flight route, Russian strategic missile carriers were accompanied by aircraft from the Air Force of the Republic of Korea and the Air Self-Defense Forces of Japan,” said a statement from the Russian Defense Ministry.
“The US and South Korea holding yet more large-scale military and naval exercises does not help reduce tensions on the Korean Peninsula,” added a Kremlin spokesperson. “We urge all sides to exercise maximum caution. Given the arms build-up in the region, any rash move or even an unintended incident could spark a military conflict.”