Putin hails successful test of nuclear-powered underwater torpedo

By Efrat Lachter, Anders Hagstrom

Published October 29, 2025

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Wednesday that Russia had a "huge success" testing its Poseidon nuclear-capable underwater drone, describing the system as a major step in the country’s strategic weapons program, according to Reuters.

"For the first time, we managed not only to launch it with a launch engine from a carrier submarine, but also to launch the nuclear power unit on which this device passed a certain amount of time," Putin said. "There is nothing like this."

"The Poseidon’s power significantly exceeds the power of even our most promising Sarmat intercontinental-range missile," he said, referring to Russia's SATAN II model.

Russian President Vladimir Putin watches a naval exercise from the Marshal Ustinov missile cruiser in the Black Sea on Jan. 9, 2020. The drills involved warships from Russia's Black Sea Fleet along with several ships from its Northern Fleet. More than 30 warships and 39 aircraft, including several Tu-95 strategic bombers, took part in the exercise. (Alexei Druzhinin / RUSSIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS AND INFORMATION OFFICE / HANDOUT/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Russian President Vladimir Putin watches a naval exercise from the Marshal Ustinov missile cruiser in the Black Sea on Jan. 9, 2020. The drills involved warships from Russia's Black Sea Fleet along with several ships from its Northern Fleet. More than 30 warships and 39 aircraft, including several Tu-95 strategic bombers, took part in the exercise. (Alexei Druzhinin/ RUSSIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS AND INFORMATION OFFICE / HANDOUT/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

The Poseidon, first unveiled in 2018, is designed to travel across oceans at high speeds using nuclear propulsion and carry a massive warhead. Russian officials claim it can create destructive radioactive waves capable of striking coastal targets, though its operational status has not been independently verified.

Putin also cited progress on other strategic systems, including the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile, which Moscow says can fly indefinitely and evade missile defenses. Russian officials reported a successful test flight of the Burevestnik earlier in the week as part of a broader demonstration of nuclear readiness.

The successful Burevestnik test traveled over 8,700 miles, Russia said, raising some eyebrows in the West.

On Monday, President Donald Trump responded to Russia’s recent weapons testing, telling reporters aboard Air Force One that Putin "should end the war in Ukraine, not test missiles." He added that the U.S. has "a nuclear submarine right off their coast… so it doesn’t have to go 8,000 miles," and warned that "we’re not playing games with them either."

Russia's Sarmat missile being fired from undisclosed location.

A Sarmat missile, also known as 'Satan 2' is being fired from an undisclosed location in Russia. (East2West)

Trump said that instead of focusing on missile development, Putin "ought to get the war ended… a war that should have taken one week is now in its fourth year."

In recent days, Moscow has intensified its offensive in eastern Ukraine, claiming to have seized several frontline villages and to be closing in on the strategic city of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region. Earlier this month, Putin said Russian forces had captured nearly 5,000 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory since the start of the year — a claim Ukraine disputes.

U.S. and NATO officials have not independently confirmed the Poseidon test, and the Pentagon declined to comment.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Efrat Lachter is an investigative reporter and war correspondent. Her work has taken her to 40 countries, including Ukraine, Russia, Iraq, Syria, Sudan and Afghanistan. She is a recipient of the 2024 Knight-Wallace Fellowship for Journalism. Lachter can be followed on X @efratlachter.

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