Russia fails test launch of intercontinental ballistic missile during Biden's visit to Kyiv
Russia carried out a test of the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile around the time US President Joe Biden was in Ukraine on Monday, 20 February 2023, which appears to have failed.
Source: CNN citing two US officials familiar with the matter
Details: Russia notified the United States in advance of the launch through deconfliction lines, one official said. Another official said that the test did not pose a risk to the United States and that the US did not view the test as an anomaly or an escalation.
The test of the heavy Sarmat missile – nicknamed the Satan II in the West and capable of delivering multiple nuclear warheads – appears to have failed, officials said. It has been successfully tested before and had this one worked, US officials believe Russian President Vladimir Putin would have highlighted the test in his State of the Nation address on Tuesday.
According to Russian official data, the Sarmat missile has a range exceeding 11,000 kilometres (6,835 miles) and can carry a warhead weighing 100 tonnes.
Background:
- On Friday, 17 February, Joe Biden decided to make a risky visit to Kyiv only after he had a meeting with his national security team.
- Before Biden arrived in Ukraine, American officials reached out to their Russian counterparts in order to ensure that there would be no moments that could potentially lead to a direct conflict between two nuclear powers.
- The US President stated Ukraine's allies "will not tire" of supporting it in the face of Russia's full-scale aggression, and Kyiv will "never be" defeated by Russia.
Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
