Russia 'tested nuclear missile' when Biden made Ukraine visit

Russia notified the US prematurely of the launch by means of deconfliction traces, one official mentioned.

Another official mentioned that the take a look at didn’t pose a threat to the US and that the US didn’t view the take a look at as an anomaly or an escalation.

US officers consider Russia carried out a failed take a look at of a SARMAT intercontinental nuclear missile, just like this one, throughout US President Joe Biden’s go to to Ukraine on February 20, 2023. (AP)

The take a look at of the heavy SARMAT missile – nicknamed the Satan II within the West and able to delivering a number of nuclear warheads – seems to have failed, officers mentioned.

It has been efficiently examined earlier than and had this one labored, US officers consider Russian President Vladimir Putin would have highlighted the take a look at in his State of the Nation deal with on Tuesday.

Instead, Putin made no point out of the launch within the speech that lasted an hour and 45 minutes.

CNN initially reported the obvious take a look at occurred whereas Biden was in Ukraine based mostly off data from sources.

After this story first revealed, one of many officers mentioned the take a look at occurred simply earlier than Biden was within the nation.

The second supply had advised CNN that the take a look at was on Monday with out offering any extra particular timing.

US President Joe Biden walks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at St Michael’s Golden-Domed Cathedral throughout a shock go to to Kyiv. (AP)

The timing of the take a look at means that the US and Russia have been speaking by means of a number of totally different channels earlier this week for deconfliction functions – US officers additionally notified the Russians on Sunday evening, hours earlier than Biden’s go to to Kyiv, that the president could be making the journey to the Ukrainian capital, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan mentioned on Monday.

CNN has requested Russia’s embassy in Washington for remark.

Putin has introduced profitable ICBM assessments up to now, together with final April, simply months after Russia invaded Ukraine.

That take a look at was additionally for the SARMAT missile which was first unveiled in 2016 and mentioned by Russian state media to have a variety exceeding 11,000km.

The missile can carry a warhead weighing 100 tonnes and was designed as a successor to the R-36M Voevoda ICBM.