Elena Teslova
13 May 2026•Update: 13 May 2026
President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Russia will continue to develop missile systems capable of overcoming all current and future missile defense systems.
Putin said the process will not stop with the completion of current projects.
“We will continue to modernize and develop our strategic nuclear forces, and to create missile systems with enhanced combat capability, capable of overcoming all modern and future missile defense systems,” he said at a meeting at the Institute of Thermal Technology in Moscow, where several strategic nuclear missile systems were developed.
In recent years, Russia has developed an entire range of advanced weapons systems; however, before that, authorities had indicated that it would be sufficient, as the new models were said to be “decades ahead” of all existing types of weaponry.
Commenting on a successful test of the intercontinental ballistic missile Sarmat, Putin said Tuesday that Moscow has achieved nuclear capabilities with “no counterparts in the world.”
He also said Russia has developed a range of advanced strategic weapons systems since the early 2000s after the US withdrew from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, which Moscow said threatened the strategic balance.
Among them are the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle, Kinzhal hypersonic missile, Poseidon nuclear-powered underwater drone and the Burevestnik cruise missile.
Another key system is the RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, which Moscow says is capable of overcoming existing and future missile defense systems.
