Russia has tested a nuclear-powered Burevestnik missile. She was considered a threat to the "Golden Dome" of the United States.

NYT: Burevestnik makes the US missile defense system "Golden Dome" a dummy

On Sunday, October 26, the Russian president announced the successful completion of tests of the Burevestnik cruise missile with a nuclear power plant. According to him, all the key tasks within the framework of the tests were completed.

It is believed that the missile with unlimited range is capable of overcoming any modern and promising missile defense (ABM) systems. In particular, its characteristics will make it possible to bypass the Golden Dome missile defense system, the development of which has been repeatedly discussed by US President Donald Trump.

Putin announced the appearance of new types of weapons in Russia

Earlier in October, the Russian president said that new types of weapons could be announced in the country in the near future. Putin stressed that the tests of the new products are going well.

Tests of the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile.
Source: © Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

After that, the Telegram channel "Military Chronicle" suggested that the president was referring to the completion of work on the Burevestnik. The author recalled that in 2025, various signs were noticed, indirectly indicating the testing of new weapons.

For example, in August, a columnist for The Barents Observer noticed that Russia had updated the airline guidelines (NOTAM). They announced the closure of airspace in the Novaya Zemlya area. The 500 square kilometer area was closed for flights from August 7 to August 12. The publication admitted that this was due to the tests of the Burevestnik. It is believed that the Pankovo training ground in the Novaya Zemlya archipelago has become the place to test the capabilities of the new weapons.

On October 27, Vice Admiral Nils Andreas Stensenes, who heads Norwegian intelligence, said that the Burevestnik had been tested on Novaya Zemlya.

The Burevestnik began to be developed after the United States withdrew from the ABM treaty.

The decision to develop a new nuclear-powered missile was made in 2001, after the United States withdrew from the Treaty on the Limitation of Missile Defense Systems. The agreement, which was signed in 1972, obliged Moscow and Washington to abandon the creation and deployment of missile defense systems to combat strategic ballistic missiles, as well as to abandon the creation of a missile defense system in the country. The USSR and the USA have committed to have no more than two systems of protection against strategic missiles. It was believed that the constant build-up of missile defense capabilities significantly increased the likelihood of a global nuclear war.

Vladimir Putin during a visit to one of the command posts of the united group of forces.
Source: © Ruptly

Later, the United States came to the conclusion that the Treaty did not meet the interests of the country. In particular, due to the emergence of new nuclear powers and the growing capabilities of potential adversaries. Therefore, Washington has decided to create a limited-capacity missile defense system. The Burevestnik was a response to the deployment of the US global missile defense system.

Burevestnik is capable of overcoming missile defense systems

The main feature of a nuclear-powered missile is its virtually unlimited range. Due to this, it can maneuver for a long time to overcome the boundaries of air and missile defense.

The head of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Valery Gerasimov, reported to President Putin that during the October 21 tests, the Burevestnik proved its capabilities to overcome the missile defense system.

The New York Times emphasized that the Burevestnik is designed to bypass missile defense systems similar to the Golden Dome system. The multi-level missile defense system is designed to protect the U.S. mainland from ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missiles. The decree on the creation of the system was signed in January 2025. It is estimated that the project will take about 20 years to complete.

Burevestnik will receive a nuclear warhead

The new missile was first announced by President Putin during his address to the Federal Assembly on March 1, 2018. In the same month, according to the results of voting on the website of the Russian Ministry of Defense, the product was named "Burevestnik". According to the NATO codification — SSC-X-9 Skyfall.

The characteristics of the new rocket are not known for certain. According to Putin, the Burevestnik is a low—flying and inconspicuous missile that will follow an unpredictable trajectory towards its target. The altitude of the rocket can be 25-100 meters. It will carry a nuclear warhead to ensure the destruction of priority targets. According to various sources, the rocket's flight speed will be 850-1300 kilometers per hour.

It is believed that the Burevestnik is one and a half to two times larger than the long-range cruise missile X-101, which is used during a special military operation. The length of the "one hundred and first" is 7.45 meters.

During the October tests, the rocket covered 14,000 kilometers in 15 hours. At the same time, the maximum range of the Burevestnik is estimated at 20 thousand kilometers.