Featured Image Credit: Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation
Topics: Russia, Vladimir Putin
William Morgan
Topics: Russia, Vladimir Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin is sitting on a growing stockpile of nuclear and conventional weapons that Western nations could struggle to defend against, a leaked NATO report has alleged.
The 'confidential NATO document', seen by German publication Die Welt, allegedly shows the escalating concern among allied nations as Russia supposedly pumps out new weaponry for the Russian-Ukrainian war.
It follows reports that Putin's experimental Burevestnik missile, dubbed 'flying Chernobyl' after the Soviet nuclear disaster, was tested to some success last month.
Russia claims this hypersonic ballistic missile flew over 8000 miles and racked up a flight time of 15 hours, thanks to its onboard nuclear-powered reactor.
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However, NATO analysis is reported to show that this nuclear-powered missile could pose a danger to Europe's defenses.
The confidential document purports that NATO allies' issues in building up their defensive military capabilities 'will be exacerbated by the cruise missile’s extreme range and maneuverability', as the Burevestnik's nuclear reactor allows it a longer flight time than conventional weapons.
Russian rocket scientists are believed to have been developing the weapon for approximately a decade before Moscow decided to commence testing in 2018 and 2019. Most of these failed, with one accident killing multiple workers while experimenting on an 'isotope power source for a liquid-fuelled rocket engine.'
However, in October, Putin announced that work on the missile had been completed and carried out a final test to showcase the rocket's capabilities.
The Nato document alleges the Burevestnik reached 560mph during this test.
"The ability to attack targets anywhere in Europe, combined with the high mobility of the launcher, ensures a high survivability rate. The lack of clarity about the deployed warheads poses defence challenges for NATO," the document says (via Euronews).
The 'flying Chernobyl' weapon was just one part of Putin's growing arsenal of new nuclear-capable weapons supposedly identified in the NATO document.
Also of concern to the military alliance is the hypersonic ballistic Oreshnik missile, which has already been deployed to devastating effect against Ukraine's city of Dnipro this year.
Like the 'flying Chernobyl', this missile can be fitted with either conventional or nuclear warheads and has a 3100-mile range that could reach the West Coast, or the US's airbases in the UK and Europe.
Not knowing whether any potential launches of these rockets could have the potential to unleash nuclear armageddon was cited as a strategic issue for NATO in the documents, which stated that the 'ambiguity of the warheads poses challenges'.
Another major challenge facing allied nations is Russia's formidable Poseidon class of nuclear-powered submarines and underwater drones, according to Die Welt's report.
These long-ranged underwater weapons and boats could 'destroy naval bases, ports, and coastal cities in the Pacific, along the US East Coast, and in the UK and France', according to the leaked report.
UNILAD has contacted NATO for comment.