Russia Successfully Test-Launches Sarmat ICBM with Record 35,000 km Range

Russia has conducted a successful final test launch of its powerful RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, the heavy liquid-fuelled strategic weapon often described as capable of striking anywhere on Earth.

The missile was launched from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in the Arkhangelsk region. According to Russian officials, the test fully achieved its objectives, with the Sarmat striking its designated target at the Kura testing range on the Kamchatka Peninsula.

The Sarmat is designed to travel not only along traditional ballistic trajectories but also on suborbital paths. This capability allows it to potentially evade all existing and future air and missile defense systems by approaching targets from unexpected directions, including over the South Pole. Russian sources claim the missile has a maximum range of 35,000 km, sufficient to cover the entire globe.

President Vladimir Putin has previously called the Sarmat the most powerful missile system in the world, noting its significantly higher warhead yield and improved ability to penetrate missile defenses compared to Western counterparts.

The Sarmat, NATO designation “Satan II,” is intended as a replacement for the aging Soviet-era Voyevoda missiles. It forms a key part of Russia’s ongoing nuclear triad modernization program.