Russia Tests 'Doomsday' Poseidon Drone Designed to Create Radioactive Tsunamis
Poseidon activates nuclear power in chilling warning.
President Vladimir Putin declared the inaugural nuclear-powered operational test of the Poseidon underwater drone a resounding success, conducted Tuesday from a specialized carrier submarine in undisclosed waters. The trial not only launched the vehicle but activated its revolutionary miniature nuclear reactor—100 times smaller than submarine propulsion units yet delivering a warhead payload significantly surpassing the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile. Putin asserted the drone's combination of extreme depth, speeds reaching 200 kph, and unlimited range renders it impervious to any existing or foreseeable interception technology.
Designated for coastal devastation, Poseidon is engineered to detonate near enemy shores, generating radioactive tsunamis capable of inundating vast urban centers with contaminated floodwaters. Russian strategic doctrine positions it as an assured second-strike weapon, bypassing traditional missile defense architectures. Putin emphasized that "in terms of speed and operating depth, there is nothing like this unmanned vehicle anywhere in the world," predicting no near-term equivalents will emerge globally.
The announcement dovetails with Sunday's validation of the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile, which completed a 15-hour flight covering 14,000 kilometers while executing complex evasive maneuvers. Chief of the General Staff General Valery Gerasimov briefed Putin that the missile's reactor—1,000 times smaller than submarine equivalents and initiating within minutes—demonstrated full functionality. Burevestnik's infinite loitering capability allows it to orbit defenses indefinitely before striking from unpredictable vectors, complementing Poseidon's seabed approach.
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Putin contextualized both systems as direct countermeasures to the United States' withdrawal from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in 2001 and subsequent shield deployments across Europe and the Pacific. Russian military planners have long warned that such defenses could embolden a disarming first strike, leaving Moscow vulnerable. The Poseidon and Burevestnik ensemble guarantees catastrophic retaliation even against saturated interceptors, restoring mutually assured destruction parity.
These synchronized revelations intensify nuclear signaling amid the protracted Ukraine conflict and diplomatic freeze with Washington. With President Trump imposing fresh sanctions and postponing a proposed Budapest summit, Putin's timing underscores Russia's readiness to employ "all available means" for territorial integrity. The tests elevate strategic instability risks, prompting urgent calls from arms control advocates for renewed dialogue on limiting exotic delivery systems before deployment escalates the global threat landscape.
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