Russia conducted an ICBM test Monday while Joe Biden was in Ukraine, according to a report – but warned the US in advance.
Moscow was told several hours before Biden’s arrival in Kiev that he would be there and warned against attacking the city during that time. The bold visit, aimed to emphasize US support for Ukraine on its first anniversary, was not announced in advance.
But on Tuesday, two sources told CNN that Russia had been testing an ICBM called Satan II while the president was meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart.
Moscow warned Washington in advance, and US officials told CNN they did not view the launch as an escalation. The test start failed.
Joe Biden is pictured alongside his Ukrainian counterpart Zelenskyy in Kiev on Monday. The Russians were warned in advance that he would be there. While he was there, they tested an ICBM, but also warned Washington
A Russian government photo from April 2022 showing the launch of “Satan II,” the SARMAT rocket, from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in the Arkhangelsk region
A local resident who lives near the Plesetsk region snapped a picture of a trail hanging low in the sky, believed to be the remains of a failed rocket launch
The test of the heavy SARMAT missile, which can carry multiple nuclear warheads, would have been highlighted by President Vladimir Putin in Tuesday’s State of the Union address, officials believe — had it been successful.
Putin has announced successful ICBM tests in the past, including in April — weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine.
This test also applied to the SARMAT missile, which was first presented in 2016.
The missile is said to have a range of over 6,835 miles and be able to carry a warhead weighing 100 tons.
However, US sources told CNN that the latest test appeared to have failed, with no further details on how or why it went wrong.
A picture taken by local residents in Plesetsk — a notorious missile testing area — showed a white trail low in the sky, indicating the missile had failed in flight. – although the Russian Ministry of Defense has not announced a launch or responded to requests for comment.
“There was a huge, loud bang and it kept rumbling for a full minute,” said a Plesetsk resident named Maksim.
“I rushed outside to check and saw nothing, but there was a trail very low in the sky.
“I could even see it being swept away by the wind. And what worries me the most is that there is no information from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome.’
He said rocket launches usually “fly right over my house.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers his annual state of the nation address at the Gostiny Dvor conference center in central Moscow February 21, 2023
This image provided by the Russian Defense Ministry shows the moment a nuclear-capable Sarmat II missile is launched
“Every time they start it, the noise is so loud it cracks our windows. I always google information about the launch, like I did this time. But this time there was nothing at all.’
Another local resident, Sofia Danilova, said she saw a similar trail over Arkhangelsk the same day.
“I saw an almost identical train, but there were also dark exhaust fumes,” she said. “The trail and exhaust were much higher than what I see in this picture.”
She heard no take-off and said: “It certainly wasn’t a plane. We know how they fly and what they look like.”
Russia boasts the world’s largest nuclear arsenal – inherited from the Soviet Union – and until the COVID pandemic faced constant inspections and controls by the US, a close second.
During Tuesday’s speech, Putin announced that he was withdrawing from the last remaining nuclear deal, the New START treaty.
Senior officials in the Biden administration have insisted that Putin’s move will not change the status quo as inspections have not been conducted since 2020.
Putin also said he would stick to the cap of 1,550 nuclear weapons per side and insisted he would not back out of the treaty.
But he made it clear that he wanted to abolish arms control, arguing that the US and the West wanted to inflict a “strategic defeat” and “get on top of our nuclear facilities.”
The treaty expires in 2026 and could herald the start of a Cold War-like era, when nations could build a stockpile capable of wiping out countries in a matter of seconds.
Vladimir Putin signaled an end to formal arms control between the world’s two largest nuclear superpowers when he announced on Tuesday that he would suspend Russia’s participation in the New Start Treaty
William Alberque, director of strategy, technology and arms control at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, told Portal: “Both sides could immediately go from 1,550 deployed strategic warheads to 4,000 – that could happen overnight.”
Security analysts have also said it could put an end to mutual deterrence and allow other superpowers like China, India and Pakistan to develop their own arsenals.
Putin also claimed US and NATO inspectors would pass information about the nuclear sites to Ukrainians to launch attacks.
“It’s a theater of the absurd,” he said.
“We know that the West is directly involved in the Kiev regime’s attempts to attack the bases.”
While the US waits for Russia’s next move, the Biden administration has time to formulate a response.
Republican Congressman Mike Rogers, chair of the Armed Services Committee, said it was “no surprise” that Putin suspended attendance and called for a response.
He said the US should deploy additional nuclear forces and speed up planning in case Putin breaches the ceilings.