Russian President Vladimir Putin said the Kremlin is working to prepare what he previously described as the world’s “most powerful” warhead, the Satan II intercontinental ballistic missile, for “combat duty” as the war in Ukraine continues.
The Kremlin chief acknowledged this week for the first time since the war began that his forces in Ukraine are facing hard times as the 10-month war shows no sign of ending.
Putin said military officials are now reviewing the state of the war, in which Russia has lost ground in recent months, along with their previous experience in international conflicts, such as the war in Syria, as they look at how to move forward with their “operation special military”.
Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during an extended meeting of the Russian Defense Ministry Board at the National Defense Control Center in Moscow on Wednesday.
(VADIM SAVITSKY/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images)
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“We are very aware of all the NATO forces and resources that have been used against us in the course of the special military operation,” he said in a speech to Russia’s Defense Military Junta on Wednesday.
Putin laid out a series of plans he seeks to implement to overhaul his war effort, including bolstering “the combat readiness of [Russia’s] nuclear triad”.
“It is the main guarantee that our sovereignty and territorial integrity, strategic parity and general balance of forces in the world are preserved,” he said in an announcement that comes as the United States seeks to pledge another $44 billion in aid to Ukraine. .
The Russian president defended Moscow’s stockpiles of Avangard hypersonic warheads, saying Russia will continue to develop its hypersonic missiles with “unique characteristics, unmatched in the world.”
Putin also said that Russia would soon prepare its RS-28 Sarmat, dubbed the Satan II by Western officials, for “first-time combat duty,” though he did not specify when this would occur.
The Sarmat ICBM is launched during a test at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Arkhangelsk region, Russia, in this still image taken from video released Wednesday.
(Russian Defense Ministry/Handout via REUTERS)
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“In early January next year, the Soviet Fleet Admiral Gorshkov frigate will begin combat duty,” he added, noting that it will carry sea-based hypersonic missiles “unmatched in the world.”
Reports of communication failures between the ranks will also be addressed, Putin said as he called on engineers and weapons designers to regularly visit the front lines to address troop demands.
Senior Defense Ministry officials are also expected to coordinate with regional heads in Ukraine as Putin seeks to secure regions he claimed to have annexed earlier this year.
Reports have long suggested that Russia has suffered heavy losses on the battlefield. On Thursday, Ukraine claimed that Russia has lost more than 100,000 soldiers in the war.
Putin sought to mitigate his losses by recruiting 300,000 men into Russia’s ranks in September. However, reports of insufficient training and inadequate weapons have allegedly led to a high death toll among conscripts.
“We know that there are no small things on the battlefield, so it is necessary to pay special attention,” he said, addressing his defense officers. “I want to emphasize it once again: medical kits, food, dry rations, uniforms, footwear, protective helmets, bulletproof vests – everything must be at the highest level and up to date.”
“Everything a fighter uses must be state-of-the-art, convenient and reliable, and the supply must correspond to his actual needs,” Putin continued. “If some ministry standards are outdated, they need to be changed, and quickly.”
Russian military and pro-Russian separatists keep watch as civilians are evacuated along humanitarian corridors from the Ukrainian city of Mariupol on March 24, 2022.
(Stringer/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
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Putin compared the war in Ukraine to other major wars involving Russia, including when Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Russia in 1812, as well as both world wars.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu also announced on Wednesday that Russia would increase its army by 30%, raising its fighting force from just over 1 million to 1.5 million, Reuters reported.
Shoigu did not specify when this expansion would occur.
