Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday announced that Moscow had successfully tested a nuclear-capable, nuclear-powered underwater drone, its second nuclear weapons test in less than a week, defying warnings from US President Donald Trump.
Putin said the latest trial involved the “Poseidon,” an unmanned underwater device equipped with a nuclear power unit, describing it as unmatched in speed and depth.
“Yesterday, another test was conducted for another prospective system — the unmanned underwater device ‘Poseidon,’ also equipped with a nuclear power unit,” Putin said in televised remarks during a visit to a military hospital treating Russian soldiers wounded in Ukraine.
He boasted that no country could intercept or rival the drone’s capabilities. “It is unlikely that anything similar will appear in the near future,” Putin said, adding that Poseidon can travel faster than conventional submarines and reach any continent undetected.
According to Russian state news agency TASS, the drone can operate at depths of over one kilometre and travel at speeds of up to 70 knots. It can also carry a nuclear warhead of up to two megatons, the report said.
The Poseidon test comes just days after Putin oversaw the launch of the Burevestnik, a nuclear-capable cruise missile with what he described as an “unlimited range.”
Following that test, Trump criticised the move, calling it inappropriate and urging Putin to prioritise ending the war in Ukraine instead.
“He ought to get the war (in Ukraine) ended. A war that should have taken one week is now soon in its fourth year. That’s what he ought to do instead of testing missiles,” Trump said.
The US president last week cancelled a planned summit with Putin in Budapest, citing the Russian leader’s refusal to compromise on ending the conflict.
Talks between the two sides have stalled despite Washington’s repeated appeals for a ceasefire. The US recently imposed sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil firms, accusing Moscow of stonewalling diplomatic efforts.
Putin first unveiled both the Poseidon and Burevestnik in 2018 during a speech touting Russia’s new generation of “invincible” strategic weapons.