Russia to deploy new strategic weapons, Defense Minister says

Sergei Ivanov told that the new, "highly accurate strategic weapons, maneuverable warheads which are currently under development could penetrate any missile defense systems thanks to their unpredictable trajectories."

Photo: Russia to deploy new strategic weapons, Defense Minister says

Ivanov told reporters that the new weapons would be commissioned in a "foreseeable" future, but refused to elaborate on their performance, the Interfax, ITAR-Tass news agencies reported.

Analysts say the new warheads, designed to zigzag on their approach to targets, could be fitted to new land-based Topol-M missiles and the prospective Bulava missiles for the Russian navy, now under development.

President Vladimir Putin referred to the new weapons in his state-of-the-nation address last month, saying that their unpredictable trajectory would make them difficult to neutralize and allow Russia to maintain a strategic balance of forces with the United States even with a smaller arsenal.

Russia opposed Washington's withdrawal in 2002 from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty so that it can deploy a national missile defense shield, saying the 30-year-old U.S.-Soviet pact was a key element of international security. Moscow has also bristled at NATO's eastward expansion and warned that the redeployment of U.S. forces closer to Russian borders threatened its security.