Putin Presented State Awards to Developers of New Doomsday Weapons
On Russia's Day of National Unity, President Putin awarded honors to the creators of the Burevestnik cruise missile and the Poseidon underwater drone. He described their work as foundational for a new generation of reactor-powered weapons during a ceremony at the Kremlin.
"Today, here in the Kremlin, we honour people who have set an example of such worthy service to the Motherland, [and] made a significant contribution to ensuring its security and defence capability […]," Putin said while presenting the awards.
He also expressed gratitude to all the scientific and production teams involved: "I want to thank you and all the scientific and production teams – tens of thousands of people who participated in the creation of these powerful, effective and unique weapons."
The specific recipients were not disclosed, but it is believed that representatives from leading defense research institutes were present. The awards followed recent weapons tests in the Franz Josef Land archipelago and the Kara Sea.
According to Putin, the test launches of both the Burevestnik and Poseidon weapons succeeded. Reportedly, the Burevestnik missile remained airborne for about 15 hours, covering 14,000 kilometers, while the Poseidon drone was launched from a submarine, used its booster engine, and briefly activated its nuclear power plant.
"The test launches of the Burevestnik and Poseidon proceeded successfully."
However, skepticism is advised regarding these statements.
Summary
President Putin honored developers of nuclear-powered weapons, emphasizing their strategic role, though the claims about test successes should be viewed critically.