Russia readies to test Burevestnik nuclear-powered missile

Russia is preparing to test an experimental nuclear-powered cruise missile known as the Burevestnik, The New York Times said.

NYT journalists analysed the movement of aircraft and vehicles in the area of the Pankovo training ground on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago, where Russia earlier tested its prospective weapons.

In August 2019, CNBC, citing sources from US intelligence services, said that an explosion at a military training ground near the city of Severodvinsk in the Arkhangelsk region of Russia (the explosion took place in August 2019) occurred during an attempt to lift the Burevestnik missile from the bottom of the sea.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the creation of the new Burevestnik (Thunderbird) missile in March 2018 during his address to the Federal Assembly. The new weapon is a low-flying, stealthy, nuclear-powered cruise missile of unlimited range. Its Western reporting name is SSC-X-9 Skyfall.