Russia has announced it has successfully test-fired the world’s largest nuclear missile as scary pictures show Downing Street covered in radioactive dust.
In a show of strength to the West, the Kremlin launched a nuclear-capable Sarmat rocket – known as Shaitan-2.
The 208-tonne intercontinental missile launched from a silo at a speed of 15,880 mph as high as a 14-storey tower block.
Strategic Missile Forces commander Sergei Karakayev told the Russian leader that the test was successful after weeks of anticipation leading up to the launch.
A smug Putin described the weapon as “the most powerful missile system in the world” and insisted it could not be stopped by Western defence.
He said: “The total yield of the delivered weapon is four times greater than that of any current, most powerful Western counterpart.
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“Most importantly, the missile can travel not only on ballistic trajectories, but also on suborbital trajectories.
“Third, it allows a range of more than 35,000 kilometers (21,750 miles) as well as doubles its missile defense performance.
“And ultimately, it has the capability to penetrate all existing and potential missile defense systems.
“Later this year, Sarmat (Shaitan-2) will be actually deployed on combat duty.”
In a dire warning to the West and its allies, Russian state media released mock-ups showing the missile’s devastating impact.
A harrowing graphic shows Downing Street vaporised as a deadly weapon attacks the center of London.
Despite the latest success, this is only the second known successful test of a doomsday rocket.
The missile – believed to be the largest in the world – had earlier completed a successful launch in April 2022.
Since then, several tests have ended in disaster.
In September 2024, a hypersonic missile exploded on the launchpad of the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, leaving a crater approximately 200 feet wide.
Another test in November 2025 went horribly wrong when the rocket crashed shortly after takeoff, causing a massive explosion.
Amid growing frustration, Putin reportedly fired two heads of Russia’s space agency who claimed that Satan-2 was ready for deployment.
The head of the defense plant responsible for missile manufacturing was detained last month.
Russian state media reported that Alexander Gavrilov, 55, is now being held in Siberia on charges of “embezzlement.”
The test comes as the Kremlin announced on Tuesday that peace talks show the war in Ukraine is “coming to an end”.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow welcomes US mediation efforts to end the conflict.
The Russian leader said he would sit with the Ukrainian President in a neutral country once the deal is agreed upon.
He added: “A meeting in a third country is also possible, but only once a final agreement has been reached on a peace treaty for a long-term historical perspective, to participate in the event and sign (the treaty), but this should be a final step.”
