In this photo released by Roscosmos Space Agency Press Service on April 20, the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile is test launched from Plesetsk in Russia's northwest. Photo / AP
In this photo released by Roscosmos Space Agency Press Service on April 20, the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile is test launched from Plesetsk in Russia's northwest. Photo / AP
Vladimir Putin on Wednesday night boasted that he had unleashed the first successful test of a new nuclear missile known as "Satan II", which carries a dozen warheads and could be used to strike enemies around the world.
The "superheavy" 200-tonne intercontinental ballistic missile was a "present to Nato", according to the Kremlin, and would make Moscow's enemies "think twice".
Putin's sabre-rattling came at a moment of extreme geopolitical tension, coinciding with the first days of the next phase of Russia's eight-week old war in Ukraine as its troops began their assault on the eastern Donbas region.
In this photo released by Roscosmos Space Agency Press Service on April 20, the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile is test launched from Plesetsk in Russia's northwest. Photo / AP
On Wednesday night, Boris Johnson said it was hard to see how Ukraine could negotiate with Putin at this point in the conflict, adding: "How can you negotiate with a crocodile when it's got your leg in its jaws?"
The new missile, officially known as Sarmat, was launched from a silo in Plesetsk, in Russia's northwest, and delivered training warheads to a test range 6000km away in the Kamchatka peninsula.
Putin said on Russian television that it was "capable of overcoming all modern means of anti-missile defence. It has no analogues in the world and won't have for a long time to come".
The Russian president added: "This truly unique weapon will strengthen the combat potential of our armed forces, reliably ensure Russia's security from external threats and provide food for thought for those who, in the heat of frenzied aggressive rhetoric, try to threaten our country."
Russian military vehicles move on a highway in an area controlled by Russian-backed separatist forces near Mariupol, Ukraine. Photo / AP
He has previously claimed the missile would be able to hit a target anywhere on Earth. It can be fired over either pole, creating difficulties for ground and satellite-based tracking systems.
In a statement, Russia's defence ministry said: "Sarmat is the most powerful missile with the longest range of destruction of targets in the world, which will significantly increase the combat power of our country's strategic nuclear forces."
The missile reportedly has a range of 18,000km (11,000 miles) and can deliver between 10 and 15 nuclear warheads at hypersonic speeds.
"This is probably the most destructive single weapon on earth," Ian Williams, a fellow at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies think tank, told The Telegraph. He said it "could destroy 10 cities with one missile" as the warheads it carries can be "independently targeted".
According to one military analyst, if it was based in Russia's extreme west, it could reach London in as little as 13 minutes.
Putin emphasised that the missile was made using only Russian equipment and so would not be affected by sanctions. It will be deployed at the end of the year, according to Russian news agencies.
The tail of a missile sticks out in a residential area in Yahidne, near of Dnipro, Ukraine. Photo / AP
Igor Korotchenko, the editor in chief of Russia's National Defence magazine, said it showed Moscow was capable of "crushing retribution that will put an end to the history of any country".
But in Washington, Jim Townsend, a former deputy assistant secretary of defence, told The Telegraph: "It's a sign of their frustration, a sign of their insecurity, more than a warning that this is going to be in our future."
Julian Lewis, the chairman of Parliament's intelligence and security committee, said: "Russia and the Western nuclear states have had the ability to annihilate each other ever since they acquired strategic nuclear bombers, followed by intercontinental ballistic missiles, over 60 years ago.
"Putin adding this new missile to his pre-existing 'overkill' capability makes absolutely no difference to the effectiveness of our Trident nuclear deterrent submarines."
The Pentagon said it had been notified of the test launch in advance. US officials sought to calm the situation, saying they viewed the test as "routine" and not a threat to America.
Kremlin insiders were said to increasingly believe Putin could resort to a limited use of nuclear weapons after devastating military setbacks in Ukraine. Insiders and business figures indicated there was no sign of him reversing course and suggested he may escalate, according to Bloomberg.
Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a Security Council meeting via videoconference at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, Russia. Photo / AP
At the Kremlin earlier, the Russian president had told a group of schoolchildren that he dreamed of bringing peace to Donbas. He said: "As I have said from the very beginning, the purpose of this operation is to help people living in the Donbas, our people living in the Donbas. Just like you."
Meanwhile, Johnson will have a street named after him in Ukraine in tribute to Britain's contribution to the war effort. The council of Fontanka, near Odesa, said: "The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is one of the most principled opponents of the Russian invasion."
In the devastated city of Mariupol, a Ukrainian commander in the besieged Azovstal steel plant issued a desperate plea for help, saying his marines were "maybe facing our last days, if not hours".
Serhiy Volyna, from the 36th Separate Marine Brigade, said: "The enemy is outnumbering us 10 to one."
Top finance officials from the UK, US and Canada walked out of a G20 meeting in Washington when the Russian representatives spoke.
The cyber security agencies of the UK, US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand – which form the "Five Eyes" intelligence-sharing alliance – issued a joint warning about potential increased Russian cyber attacks.
