Kyiv [Ukraine], August 16: Ukraine's military intelligence says Russia is preparing to test a new nuclear-powered cruise missile and if successful, Moscow could use the results to strengthen its negotiating position with the West.
Andriy Yusov, spokesman for Ukraine's military intelligence , sent a text to Reuters on August 15 just before US President Donald Trump held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska about ending the conflict in Ukraine, according to Reuters.
Mr. Yusov did not give an assessment of when the test of Russia's 9M730 Burevestnik cruise missile might take place.
Earlier, Reuters news agency quoted information from two American researchers and a Western security source saying that Russia was preparing to test the Burevestnik missile at the Pankovo test site on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago in the Barents Sea.
According to researchers, images from commercial satellite company Planet Labs show a significant increase in activity at the site, including increased personnel, equipment, and ships and aircraft that have appeared in previous tests of the 9M730 Burevestnik missile.
"Russia is preparing for a new round of tests of the 9M730 Burevestnik missile. The purpose of these tests is to confirm the scientific and technical solutions implemented by the missile," Yusov said.
"If successful, Russia will use the test results to protect its interests in negotiations with the West," the Ukrainian official said.
The Russian Defense Ministry has not commented on the information. Russian President Putin once declared that Burevestnik (NATO code name SSC-X-9 Skyfall) is an "invincible" missile against current and future missile defense systems, with a virtually unlimited range and unpredictable flight trajectory.
However, many experts doubt the missile's ability to penetrate the defense shield. They say it may not bring new capabilities to Russia, and warn of the risk of radioactive fallout along the flight path.
According to the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI-USA), Burevestnik has had poor test results, with only 2 partial successes out of 13 recorded tests.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
