Putin warns in a speech in Moscow about "the most dangerous decade since the world war" (Reuters)
Russia tested its "Doomsday" torpedo missile - and failed, according to American intelligence sources.
The "Poseidon" torpedo, which is powered by nuclear energy, is designed to be launched from the Belgorod - the largest submarine in the world, which entered service only this summer.
It was unveiled to great fanfare in 2019, and Poseidon - first announced in 2015 - is the jewel in the submarine's crown.
Russia had previously boasted that Poseidon would be able to destroy entire cities by creating tsunami waves.
However, on Thursday, US sources told CNN that the Belgorod was preparing for a test in the Arctic Sea - but ultimately did not carry it out and returned to port.
Russian nuclear submarine (Photo: Reuters)
According to estimates, the failure of the experiment was due to technical problems.
"It can be seen as part of the bigger picture and Russia's recent military practice, to send untrained and under-equipped troops to Ukraine," a Western diplomat told CNN.
"Russia's military industry is going through difficult times, and we can also see that the Western sanctions on military high-tech products are having an effect and must continue."
The window to test the torpedo is closing fast, as the Arctic sea will soon freeze.
US officials told CNN that they do not expect Russia to conduct any form of nuclear explosion during the tests. However, the Poseidon launch could have inflamed tensions with the United States.
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He was proud of the capabilities of the submarine (Photo: Reuters)
Russian President Vladimir Putin first mentioned the torpedo in his 2018 State of the Nation Address to boast about an array of new weapons.
He said the Poseidon would render U.S. missile defense systems useless. The 30,000-ton Belgorod has six Poseidons, and also serves as a mothership for smaller submarines that the Russians used for deep-sea operations.
The torpedoes are likened to drones because they can be controlled remotely. to bypass defenses. They also have a theoretically-unlimited range, thanks to its nuclear reactor engine. The weapons can also be used as unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), capable of operating kilometers below the sea surface to map the ocean floor using a sonar imaging system known as side scan.
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