Russian President Vladimir Putin has hailed the successful test of the nuclear-powered underwater drone known as Poseidon, calling the trial a “huge success” and asserting that it marks a new era in Moscow’s strategic arsenal.
Speaking at a hospital meeting with soldiers injured in the Ukraine war, Putin said the test—conducted the previous day—achieved two critical milestones: the launch of the vehicle from a carrier submarine and the initiation of its nuclear power unit, which ran for a sustained period. He claimed that no comparable systems exist elsewhere, and insisted that Poseidon’s speed, depth performance, and stealth capabilities place it beyond interception.
Putin went further, claiming that Poseidon’s destructive capacity “significantly exceeds” that of Russia’s cutting-edge Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, often referred to in Russian sources as “Satan II.” He framed the successful operation as a strategic countermeasure to U.S. missile defence expansion and NATO pressure, citing Washington’s 2001 withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty as a turning point in global deterrence dynamics.
Details from Putin and Russian state media remain limited and unverifiable. The location of the test, its precise parameters, yield, operational range, and whether any external observers were involved have not been disclosed. Analysts caution that while the announcement is intended to underscore Russia’s cutting-edge weapons development, many of the claimed capabilities, such as full invulnerability to interception or extreme destructive power, remain speculative without public technical validation.
The Poseidon (also known by its Russian designation Status-6) is conceptualized as a long-range, autonomous underwater weapon capable of carrying either a conventional or nuclear warhead, and in some Russian narratives designed to unleash radioactive tsunamis along coastlines. Previous announcements of Poseidon date back to 2018, when President Putin first included it in a suite of next-generation strategic weapons.
The timing of the announcement tracks closely on the heels of Russia’s claim of a successful test of its nuclear-powered cruise missile, Burevestnik, as part of Moscow’s broader strategy to project nuclear readiness and technological prestige.
International response to the announcement has been cautious. Western military and intelligence officials have not independently confirmed the test. Some see the revelation as part of Russia’s psychological warfare playbook, aimed at reinforcing deterrence and rattling adversaries, while others raise concern over the escalation risks posed by autonomous, nuclear-armed underwater systems.
