According to the head of Roscosmos, the State Space Corporation of Russia, his country is preparing to serially produce the Sarmat nuclear missile.
“Sarmat. The world’s most powerful nuclear missile with a global range is preparing for new tests and serial production,” Dmitrii Rogozin, the head of Roscosmos, posted on Telegram.
This nuclear missile is also known as “Satan-2” and previously made headlines when Russia touted it as a missile that could destroy “half the coast of a continent,” the Daily Mail reported in May.
Russian media even said that this missile was “capable of destroying everything breathing in the world,” in a Facebook post.
This claim was later deemed false by PolitiFact. However, the apparent capability of the Satan-2 missile is quite dangerous, even if it cannot destroy everything on earth.
The hypersonic nuclear missile has a capacity of 10 to 15 warheads, all of which can target different locations, Newsweek reported.
It is also believed that the weapon is able to evade missile defense systems, according to a March 1 Congressional Research Service report.
Russian President Vladimir Putin even announced that the first Sarmat strategic missile system would be on combat duty by the end of 2022, Yahoo News reported.
The first test launch of the missile was carried out at the end of April from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia.
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But the report about the nuclear missile being serially produced could be an even bigger threat to any of Russia’s enemies.
Coincidentally, after all these developments, New York City actually sent out a public service announcement about what to do if the city is attacked with nukes, AM New York Metro News reported.
According to the PSA, residents are supposed to “Get inside. Stay inside. Stay tuned.”
“As the threat landscape continues to evolve, it is important that New Yorkers know we are preparing for any imminent threats and are providing them with the resources they need to stay safe and informed,” said Zach Iscol, the city’s Emergency Management Commissioner, in a statement on July 11.
According to the Emergency Management Department, however, the likelihood of a nuclear attack in or around New York City is “very low.”
But the agency still released a short video online to show that the city does have a plan in case these events should happen.
With Russia’s clear messaging that they are expanding their plans for the Satan-2 nuclear missile, that could be a growing threat, but likely not a direct threat to the U.S.
The missile is intercontinental, but as Russia’s state media has pointed out, the missile could reach the capitals of Great Britain, Germany and France — each of which is supplying weapons to Ukraine, Yahoo News reported.
Reaching New York City is considerably farther and there has been no reason to link the possible proliferation of the Satan-2 missile to the east coast of the U.S.
