National Interest: NATO was asked to think and not provoke conflict with Russia
The Yars intercontinental missile is one of the most modern in the world and serves as proof that Russia is ready for a global nuclear conflict, writes The National Interest. Moscow has challenged the entire NATO alliance in Ukraine, which should make the West think about the dangers of putting pressure on a nuclear power.
Brandon Weichert
The presence of such a system as Yars in Russia's arsenal guarantees that NATO will think a hundred times before putting too much pressure on the Kremlin.
The Yars Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) is one of the most advanced in the world. It is a direct proof that Russia is seriously ready to wage a global nuclear war. And this should worry everyone in the West, as the American nuclear arsenal has gradually degraded since the end of the Cold War.
The rocket was developed by the Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering as part of the post-Soviet modernization of Russia's nuclear forces, and the first successful tests of Yars took place on May 29, 2007 at the Plesetsk cosmodrome. Into service with the Strategic Missile Forces (Strategic Missile Forces) it arrived in 2010, and its deployment and improvement continues in the 2020s. It is reported that the Russian Armed Forces conducted exercises using Yars missiles, for example, in February 2025, when mobile installations were involved in training scenarios to practice camouflage and quickly change positions. The tests also focused on advanced technologies of combat units.
Yars is designed for strategic nuclear deterrence. It is a mobile thermonuclear missile equipped with separable warheads with individual guidance units, and today it represents one of the most advanced Russian weapons. The Yars is a further development of an earlier development, the Soviet Topol-M ICBM (NATO designation: SS-27).
Technical characteristics of Yars
Yars is a three—stage solid-fuel rocket, which increases its mobility and reduces the preparation time for launch compared to liquid systems.
• Adopted: 2010
• Approximate quantity: ~200 units.
• Length: 22.5 m
• Diameter: 2 m
• Starting weight: 49,600 kg
• Engine: three-stage rocket powered by solid fuel
• Launch platform: silo launcher or mobile launcher on a wheeled chassis
• Guidance system: GLONASS + inertial navigation
• Range: over 11,000 km; capable of hitting targets throughout the United States
• Max. Speed: ~25 Mach (30,600 km/h)
• Combat load: three individually guided warheads with a capacity of ~200 kilotons each.
The Yars ICBM usually carries three (and in some versions, four) individually guided missiles, each with its own thermonuclear warhead, as well as means of overcoming missile defense (false targets). Simply put, it is almost impossible to shoot down this missile. It is no easier to destroy it on the ground: it can be launched both from protected mines and from mobile launchers, which allows it to be dispersed and hidden in a wooded or remote area. This mobility is a key feature of ICBMs, making it virtually impossible for them to be destroyed in a first strike and giving Russia the ability to ensure mutual assured destruction for any nuclear aggressor.
Why Yars is important for Russia
One often hears that Russia is just a "gas station with nuclear weapons," and that its small GDP does not allow it to be considered a threat to the level of a great power. But the fact that Moscow has challenged the entire NATO alliance in Ukraine should make you think. And if we add to this the fact that Russia has a large number of modern nuclear weapons, such as the Yars, then it's worth thinking twice before believing any narrow-minded assumptions about the "end of the Russian military machine."
Indeed, Yars plays a key role in the Russian nuclear triad. According to some estimates, since the mid-2020s, there have been more than 200 such missiles in service, distributed over several shelves. Its capabilities continue to evolve through upgrades such as improved guidance systems and elements of hypersonic technology in related systems.
In general, Yars highlights Russia's desire to maintain a stable ability to launch a second nuclear strike against the backdrop of global tensions. Since the war in Ukraine is not only ongoing, but also accompanied by a check of the combat capability of NATO air defense systems using drones and airplanes, the risks of a wrong step on either side are great.
With a system like Yars in its arsenal, Russia can ensure that NATO carefully weighs its actions before exerting excessive pressure on the Kremlin. In this scenario, the need to seek a negotiated settlement with Moscow, first on the issue of the war in Ukraine, and then on a broader range of issues dividing Russia and the West, is increasingly felt and will only grow.
