A cruise missile capable of striking the United States from any direction is a deadly addition to Russia’s arsenal, as the country appears to be “building up” its military presence in the Arctic.
Russia successfully tested its latest weapon at the weekend and President Vladimir Putin said he would move to deploy the missile, in a move experts say sends a strong signal to the West and US: “You better take us seriously.”
The launch comes as European countries grow increasingly concerned about security, and weary of the war in Ukraine, following several Russian incursions into the airspace of countries neighbouring Ukraine.
What’s different about this missile?
The 9M730 Burevestnik, whose name translates as “storm petrel”, a reference to a seabird, is a ground-launched, low-flying cruise missile that is not only capable of carrying a nuclear warhead but is also nuclear-powered.
Putin, who first revealed the project in March 2018, has said it has an unlimited range and can evade US missile defences. Independent arms monitors have previously cast doubt on Putin’s 2023 claims that the weapon had been “successfully tested”.
While North America is within striking range of Russia’s missiles, experts have raised doubts as to whether this missile could breach sophisticated defence systems.
Professor Stephan Fruehling, from the Australian National University’s Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, told SBS News that Russia wants to show the world it has a “fearsome arsenal”.
Part of what makes it deadly is its use of nuclear-powered propulsion, a technology that dates to the 1960s, Fruehling explained.
“It’s unusual insofar as it can fly over thousands of kilometres because it obviously doesn’t have to have conventional fuel,” he said.
“But it’s not like it’s particularly fast or less observable than similar weapons.”
The Burevestnik would be able to target the US from several directions, Fruehling said, not just the most direct route over the Arctic like other missiles.
“It’s a new and unusual capability, but it doesn’t in and of itself pose any particular defensive problems above and beyond what you would have to deal with conventional cruise missiles, merely the fact that it might come from a different direction,” he added.
Russia is ‘building up’
The missile launch sits among a backdrop of Russia appearing to ramp up its military presence in Europe.
Norwegian defence minister Tore Sandvik has raised the alarm over Russian activity in the Kola Peninsula, an area in Russia’s west which is near its border with Finland.
“Russia is building up on the Kola Peninsula … where one of the largest arsenals of nuclear warheads in the world is located. They [the nuclear weapons] are not only pointed towards Norway, but towards the UK and over the pole towards Canada and the US,” Sandvik told the UK’s Daily Telegraph newspaper on Friday.
Source: SBS News / SBS
Sandvik said officials have witnessed the testing of hypersonic missiles and nuclear-driven torpedoes in the region.
Even though Russia is not able to win in Ukraine, the threat of nuclear warheads and second-strike capacity from up here [Kola Peninsula] makes them a superpower still, Sandvik added.
Would Russia use this missile?
A nuclear weapon of this magnitude has not been used since the US ordered atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan at the conclusion of World War Two in 1945.
Professor Maria Rost Rublee, an international relations expert from the University of Melbourne, told SBS News there is a “long-standing taboo” against using nuclear weapons on civilian areas.
“There’d be a global backlash against Putin that could probably threaten his regime, his own standing in Russia. So, he’s not going to do that. I think it’s very unlikely,” she said.
However, if Putin felt “backed into a corner”, he may deploy the weapon as a show of strength.
“We can never say never about Russia using nuclear weapons,” she said.
“I doubt he would use it on the battlefield. I think he’d rather potentially launch one into the ocean or into a sea or use it in a way to send a message.”
‘You better take us seriously’
Rost Rublee believed the timing of the missile launch, along with recent Russian military parades and weapons testing, is designed to send a clear message.
“It’s a message to [US President Donald] Trump, it’s a message to Ukraine, and it’s a message to wider Europe and the world: we are strong, we’re not backing down, we’re growing our capabilities, and you would be wise to treat us as a strong, capable global leader,” she said.
“You better take us seriously.”
Oleksandra Molloy, a senior lecturer in aviation at the University of New South Wales, told SBS News the testing is a reminder to other countries of Russia’s ability to “dominate” airspace.
“It’s a warning to the West and the US over the talks over Ukraine and shows that its potential arsenal is presumably successfully tested and operationally ready.”
European neighbours worried about war
European countries have been growing increasingly concerned about security in the past months following Russian incursions into airspace.
“They are introducing more systems that can detect and identify, in this case, let’s say drones, before they can become a threat,” she said.
Poland shot down drones that entered its airspace in September, the first time a member of NATO is known to have fired shots during Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The violation of Poland’s airspace by Russian drones was “absolutely reckless”, NATO secretary general Mark Rutte said at the time.
One countermeasure that has been “particularly effective” is jamming the GPS signal of foreign aircraft.
Other countries, such as Estonia, have closed parts of their airspace to prevent incursions, Molloy added.
Doubts on reliability
Molloy explained that cruise missiles, like most new technology, is “complex” and require rigorous testing.
In the case of the Burevestnik, only a couple of tests have been considered “partially successful”, while at least 13 have failed, according to independent trackers.
“Given this success rate, it really raises doubts on the reliability of this new missile,” she said.
This could create a new problem: radioactive leakage, where faulty missiles could lead to radioactivity seeping before launch or from the air.
“We have that risk of having that spike in radioactivity, but with a potential range that can be placed anywhere in the world.”
She said this could create unintended targets, should a missile explode mid-flight, and drop radiation on a third party by mistake.
Risks of accidents and calls for safeguards
Rost Rublee said another threat is the potential for accidents or for unauthorised missile launches.
“People aren’t rational, unfortunately,” she said, emphasising that someone in a control centre could launch a missile without government authorisation.
“And nuclear weapons have the potential to kill, not just to kill directly the people who are affected by sprayed radiation that affects human health and the environment for hundreds of thousands of years.”
A rise in nuclear posturing and rhetoric in recent years has also prompted renewed calls for international safeguards to prevent accidental or unauthorised nuclear launches.
A study conducted by Professor Emily Crawford from the University of Sydney Law School in June warned urgent action is needed to address the growing risks posed by nuclear weapons.
The study highlighted a combination of ageing nuclear infrastructure, emerging AI capabilities, and a lack of global cooperation as key factors creating what it describes as an “unstable and dangerous landscape”.
Speaking with SBS News, Crawford explained that the risk of accidental or unlawful nuclear launches is on the rise.
“There is currently no binding international legal standard that governs how nuclear-armed states design or operate their systems,” Crawford said.
“This gap in governance poses a real risk to global security — and it’s only growing.”
Crawford’s study calls for an international code of conduct that countries could adopt to establish a universal approach to nuclear systems.
