A string of announcements with renewed tension between Russia and the West 

Since the latest announcements of Western equipment shipments to Ukraine (light tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and heavy tanks), Russia has made no secret of wanting to flex its muscles against the West. Joe Biden's surprise visit to Ukraine was therefore perceived as an additional affront, even though Moscow had been warned by the White House of this visit in advance.

In response, Russia wished to carry out an additional test firing of its latest intercontinental Sarmat missile at the same time as the American president was making his speech. The RS-28 Sarmat, nicknamed Satan 2, has been developed since 2009 and was first fired in April 2022. It must eventually replace the R-36 in service since the 60s.

According to the news channel CNN, however, anonymous sources said that the latest test of this missile had failed during the week, this information was not confirmed or denied by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov this Wednesday, February 22. The lack of official communication, however, suggests that the launch was indeed a failure. 

A chilling missile 

Vladimir Putin promised the entry into service during the year 2023 of this brand new intercontinental ballistic missile in the triad of Russian nuclear deterrence forces, a system he  described as "capable of thwarting all anti-aircraft systems in the world," adding that those who would want to threaten Russia should "think twice." 

Remind that the Satan-2 is an outsized missile with a height of 35 meters and weighing up to 208 tons capable of carrying 10 nuclear warheads that can strike up to 18,000 km away. The Sarmat, despite the Russian talking points, does not really represent a power upgrade but helps maintain the credibility of Russia's nuclear deterrent."