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Russia has 'unstoppable' supersonic nuclear missile that cannot be traced by Western defence systems, says Putin Russia has 'unstoppable' supersonic nuclear missile that cannot be traced by Western defence systems, says Putin
(about 3 hours later)
Russia is developing an array of nuclear weapon systems including a new supersonic missile of almost unlimited range that can overcome NATO defence systems, Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced.  Russia is developing a series of nuclear weapon systems, including a new supersonic cruise missile capable of overcoming NATO defence systems, Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed. 
In a belligerent state of the nation speech delivered to lawmakers on Thursday, Mr Putin said the new weapons would be unique to Russia.  In a belligerent state of the nation speech delivered to federal lawmakers on Thursday, Mr Putin said the weapons are both new and unique to Russia. 
He announced a new intercontinental ballistic missile complex (ICBM) codenamed Sarmat. Weighing more than 200 tonnes, the system has an increased range over its predecessor. “No anti-missile system will get in its way,” claimed the president. He confirmed tests of a new intercontinental ballistic missile complex (ICBM) codenamed Sarmat. Weighing more than 200 tonnes, the system has an increased range over its predecessor, and able to fly at minimal altitude, he claimed. 
There were several other major announcements. First, new underwater drones capable of carrying nuclear bombs  - an animation showed the submarine striking an aircraft carrier and seaside town. “No anti-missile system — even in the future — has a hope of getting in its way,” said the president. 
Second, the development of a new nuclear cruise missile with unpredictable flight trajectory and unlimited range (cue more animations of destruction). Several major announcements followed. Russia was developing new underwater drones capable of carrying nuclear bombs, he said. Codenamed Status-6, the drones can travel in deep water “at speeds many times that of current submarines, the most modern Ctorpedos and even the speediest surface boats.”
Capable of penetrating any anti-missile or air defence systems, the missile has the potential to change the international strategic balance.  On cue, an animation showed the new submarine destroying a NATO-resembling aircraft-carrier strike force and a seaside town. On cue, the audience applauded. 
There were “significant results” in the field of laser weapons, too, but Mr Putin declined to elaborate.  There was more. “Heroic” military developers had delivered a new class of supersonic nuclear cruise missiles. The new missiles had a range “dozens” of times above current models and were capable of flying at unpredictable trajectories and low-altitudes. 
As expected, Mr Putin had spent much of the first part of his annual speech focussing on internal problems. He touched on many of the acupuncture spots for ordinary Russians, now experiencing their fourth year of shrinking real-terms incomes. He made promises to halve poverty, double health spending, increase support to parents, extend life expectancy by 10 years and, perhaps less convincingly, to "increase freedom and democracy." “Their ability to move around missile shield intercepts make them invincible for all current and projected anti-missile and anti-aircraft systems,” said Mr Putin.
Mr Putin's state-of-nation address has traditionally been used to instruct the country's bureaucrats on the president's priorities, and the hundreds of assembled officials will have taken note. Cue more animations of destruction, and more applause from the audience. 
But it was in the second hour, with an abrupt turn to matters of war, that the real aim of the speech became clear. It was, in short, a challenge to Russia's rediscovered geopolitical foe, the United States. The point was emphasised in animations showing east-west trajectories for the new weapons.  
Mr Putin claimed Russia had been moved to step up military development in response to the U.S. withdrawal from the treaty on anti-ballistic weapons systems in 2002: “They thought we would never be able to recover economically, militarily, so ignored our complaints” he said. "They didn't listen, but perhaps they will listen now." For political commentator and former Kremlin advisor Gleb Pavlovsky, writing on social media, it was the point that Putin found his form: "Only by telling everyone how he would destroy the world did the old man finally come alive." Given claims of rendering anti-missiles defence systems useless, Russia’s new class of weapons would seem to offer a serious challenge the current strategic balance. 
But Igor Sutyagin, a military expert at RUSI, an international defence and security think tank based in London, suggested the announcements amounted to little more than “horror stories.” 
Issues of production lines, finance and science made many of the technical claims suspect, he said. Most of the technology was not new: “It's a cheap marketing trip. An old product, new package, with a new price label.”
 “I’m not sure if he understands what he said about low altitude, but intercontinental ballistic missiles have been flying at low altitude since at least the 1980s,” said Mr Sutyagin.  
The Status-6 underwater drone meanwhile went against the "philosophy" of Russian military planning. “You’d lose control over the weapon for approximately one week," he said. "The Russian thinking about nuclear weapon use is all about keeping tight control of the weapon for as long as possible.” 
 
In the lead up to Vladimir Putin’s fourteenth state of the nation address, few anticipated such a dramatic speech. Traditionally, the event has been used to outline domestic policy priorities to his regional henchmen. This year, of course, there was another dimension. With the speech delayed for three months, it had become a central event of the presidential election campaign. 
In the run-up to the speech, presidential aides promised it would offer a vision of the future to ordinary Russians. While Mr Putin remains popular among core constituencies, most Russians are now experiencing their fourth year of shrinking real-terms incomes. 
True to the promise, Mr Putin spent much of the first hour of his speech focussing on matters of domestic peace. He touched on many of Russia’s acupuncture spots. He made striking promises. He'd halve poverty. He'd double health spending. He'd increase support to parents by 40%. He'd improve ecological conditions. And he'd extend life expectancy by 10 years. Even more remarkable for a president in his eighteenth year of power were his promises to "increase freedom and democracy” and curtail regulatory pressure on business. 
But it was in the second hour, with an abrupt turn to war, that the sparks flew. The simple animations that accompanied Mr Putin’s military presentation, showing east-west trajectories for his new weapons, left little to the imagination. This speech was a bellicose challenge to Russia's rediscovered geopolitical foe, the United States. It was sort of gesture that wearied Russian voters tend to enjoy. 
Mr Putin said Russia had stepped up military development in response to the 2002 U.S. withdrawal from the treaty on anti-ballistic weapons systems. 
“They thought we would never be able to recover economically, militarily, so ignored our complaints,” he said. "They didn't listen, but perhaps they will listen now."
The reality of the confrontation was somewhat more nuanced, suggested Mr Sutyagin. American anti-missile shields were “never” intended for use against Russia, since everyone understood the sophistication of Soviet weapons, he said: “The Kremlin knows this too, so why the hysteria? Perhaps it has something to do with the huge losses sustained by Russian mercenaries in Syria last month."
For political commentator and former Kremlin advisor Gleb Pavlovsky, writing on social media, it was today, after an absent election campaign, that Mr Putin finally found his purpose. 
"Only by telling everyone how he would destroy the world did the old man come alive,” he said.