Last week, President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia has produced indomitable weapons of mass destruction. Putin’s annual speech on March 1 suggested Russia had created new cruise missiles, intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and hypersonic missiles, as well as underwater drones.
Putin also suggested that Russia’s weaponry was so innovative that anti-missile defense systems cannot counter them, not even those of the United States or its Western allies. As a superpower and a leader in advanced technology and weaponry, Russia may have created a major challenge for the United States.
According to Jeffrey Lewis of Foreign Policy, Putin said the new missile defense systems are a response to the U.S. withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. That was a partnership established with the Soviet Union under President Richard Nixon’s administration in 1972.
In June 2002, the George W. Bush administration renounced the treaty, leading to its eventual termination. Speaking of Russia’s ability to design superlative missile defense systems, Putin stated, “You didn’t listen to our country then, listen to us now.” He is basically saying that his new missile system is a message to the West that Russia will not conform to any standards and is not in a weak position.
The timing of Putin’s annual address could be perceived as a ploy. The United States recently announced its new policy of expanding its nuclear capabilities to counter Russian or North Korean nuclear weapons.
Putin’s Missiles Are Not Ready for Combat, According to Other Sources
Russia claims it has successfully tested its new missile defense system. But the United States was aware of previous testing of Russia’s RS-28 Sarmat, a heavy ICBM, a couple of years ago.
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