Russia says it has completed the first nuclear warheads to be installed on the Poseidon, dubbed the “Doomsday torpedo”, one of the “invincible weapons” announced by Vladimir Putin in 2018.
The announcement, made unofficially in a report by Russia’s state-run Tass news agency, comes amid a critical juncture in the Ukrainian War — and is thus designed to be a reminder of the Kremlin’s military capabilities to the West.
The reputation of the Russian Armed Forces has been seriously damaged due to the erratic campaign in the neighboring country, invaded in February last year. After resuming the initiative in Donetsk, one of the regions he illegally annexed in September, Putin appears ready to start the year by drawing his nuclear cards again.
He had done so at various times, even before the start of the conflict. Last week, Russia sent its first frigate to the Atlantic armed with Tsirkon hypersonic missiles, which may or may not be equipped with nuclear warheads.
Now it’s the turn of the huge 24-meter torpedo. “The first Poseidon ammunition loads have been produced, and the Belgorodo submarine will receive them in the near future,” Tass said.
The weapon is innovative and was initially viewed with skepticism in the West, but today it is part of US strategic concerns. It descends from an idea from Joseph Stalin’s time in the Soviet Union: a torpedo that would destroy ports thousands of kilometers away.
According to Tass, its propulsion system is ready. It is composed of a small nuclear reactor, providing up to 70 knots (130 km/h) of speed, twice the speed developed by submarines. According to Putin announced, it can hit targets at more than 10,000 km.
Its warhead, according to Russian military analysts, can have up to 2 megatons, a pattern that has been abandoned in modern intercontinental missiles, which favor multiple bombs with less power. The aim is to explode near coastal areas, creating a localized and radioactive tsunami.
It sounds like something out of science fiction, but as the United States Naval Institute assessed in a report last year, “perhaps the scariest point is the potential for autonomous operation”. Washington’s 2022 Nuclear Posture review included the Poseidon in the category of “innovative weapons” to attack “American homeland”.
The K-329 Belgorodo, coincidentally named after a region along the Ukrainian border that has suffered occasional drone attacks, was specially designed to transport six units of the submarine monster. It also carries other submersibles on its belly and back.
Poseidon, about which there are practically no technical details, is a platform for the use of nuclear weapons that is not covered by Novo Start, the last treaty to limit this type of threat. He indicates that Russia and the US may have 1,600 warheads ready for use on missiles launched from land, sea and air.
With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
