Putin boasts about upgraded nuclear weapons in Defender of the Fatherland Day address
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Russia has updated almost 100% of its strategic nuclear weapon stockpile, started mass production of Zircon missiles and is now completing testing of other strike systems.
Source: Putin's Defender of the Fatherland Day greetings published on the Kremlin website
Quote from Putin: "Taking into account real combat experience, we will continue to comprehensively strengthen the Armed Forces and ensure their constant technical re-equipment and modernisation.
Today, the share of modern weapons and equipment in the strategic nuclear forces has already reached 95% as a whole, and almost 100% in the naval component of the ‘nuclear triad’.
Serial production of new hypersonic Zircon missiles has begun. Testing of other strike systems is nearing completion."
Details: According to the Russian president, in December 2023 "new strategic submarines joined the Russian Navy, and just recently, four Tupolev TU-160M bombers [capable of carrying nuclear missiles] were handed over to the Armed Forces in Kazan".
He added that he will also strive to equip the conventionally-armed forces with "the best modern weapons and equipment".
Quote from Putin: "This work is being carried out systematically and consistently. In recent years, defence industry companies have multiplied the production and supply of the most popular weapons to the troops, primarily precision weapons and unmanned aerial vehicles of various types, tanks, armoured vehicles, and artillery, as well as air defence systems, counter-battery systems, and communications and intelligence equipment."
Details: According to the Russian president, the next step is the development and serial production of "promising models and the introduction of artificial intelligence technologies in the military sphere".
Background:
- Earlier, Oleksandr Ruvin, Director of the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise, reported that Russian forces had used 3M22 Zircon experimental missiles in Ukraine at least twice. One of them fell in Kyiv's Dniprovskyi district, and the other in the town of Vyshneve near Kyiv.
- Ruvin also stressed that the experimental Zircon missile does not meet the tactical and technical characteristics claimed by the Russians.
- This year alone, Ukrainian defenders have destroyed two warships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. In particular, on the night of 1 February, soldiers of the Group 13 special forces unit of Defence Intelligence of Ukraine destroyed the guided-missile corvette Ivanovets
- On 14 February, the large landing ship Tsezar Kunikov was sunk in the Black Sea.
- In the second half of February, Ukraine's Air Force shot down 7 Russian military aircraft in just one week.
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