Moscow - Russia has confirmed the deployment of its latest nuclear weapons system, the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, which President Vladimir Putin previously touted as a deterrent for potential adversaries. On Friday, Yuri Borisov, the head of Russia's Roscosmos space agency, announced that Sarmat missiles are now on combat duty.

Sarmat is one of several advanced weapons unveiled by President Putin in 2018, with its combat operations scheduled to commence by the end of 2022. This silo-based missile has the capacity to carry multiple nuclear warheads and is designed to replace the R-36 ICBMs, commonly referred to by NATO as Satan. Notably, the Sarmat boasts a brief initial launch phase, making it challenging for surveillance systems to track.

In 2022, approximately two months after deploying troops into Ukraine, Putin emphasized that the Sarmat would "reliably ensure the security of Russia from external threats and make those who, in the heat of aggressive rhetoric, try to threaten our country, think twice." He stated that the Sarmat could carry multiple nuclear bombs over the continental territory of the United States, serving as a deterrent to those attempting to intimidate Russia.

According to the Missile Defence Project at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, the Sarmat is capable of carrying at least ten independently targeted nuclear bombs with a range of up to 18,000 kilometers (approximately 11,185 miles).