Russia is likely preparing for new tests of the nuclear-powered missile Burevestnik, one of the five “superweapons” announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2018. This missile, which the US has called “flying Chornobyl”, has never had a successful test flight, while its development remains hazardous to the environment, the Moscow Times reports. 

Ukrainian expert: Russia is trying again to “shake something in front of the world”

According to NV, retired Ukrainian colonel and pilot-instructor Roman Svitan believes that the rumors of Burevestnik tests are a Kremlin information operation aimed at intimidating the world.

He thinks the Kremlin uses this topic amid US internal politics and US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff’s talks with Putin on ending the war in Ukraine to showcase its nuclear might.  

He points out serious technological failures not only with these missiles but also with the Oreshnik and Sarmat missiles.

“Russia is as far from the USSR as Kyiv is from a crawling beetle,” Svitan emphasizes.

Increased activity at the test site and radiation monitoring from the US

Nuclear weapons expert Decker Evelet reports increased activity at the Pankovo test range on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago — the primary testing ground for Burevestnik.

Simultaneously, the US deployed the WC-135R radiation reconnaissance aircraft to the region, indicating possible preparation for new missile tests.

According to Hans Kristensen of the Federation of American Scientists, these developments are a worrying sign.

The dark history of Burevestnik

The US intelligence data shows that as of October 2023, Russia conducted 13 tests of the missile, all of which failed. The longest flight lasted only two minutes with a maximum range of 35 km. A 2019 accident in the Barents Sea caused an explosion during a recovery operation, killing seven people, including nuclear scientists from the Sarov center.

The resulting radioactive contamination spread across northwest Russia and Scandinavia.