Russian military to receive first Sarmat ICBM in late 2022

Sarmat, Russia’s newest land-based intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), will be in the military’s service already in late 2022, President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday.

"Successful testing of the Sarmat heavy intercontinental ballistic missile was carried out. It is planned that at the end of the year the first such complex will be on combat duty," Putin said at a meeting with graduates of higher military educational institutions.

Russia will further strengthen its armed forces, according to Putin. "We will continue to develop and strengthen our armed forces, taking into account potential military threats and risks," he said in televised comments.

He also stated that Russia's freshly tested Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missiles, which are capable of carrying ten or more nuclear warheads and decoys, will be ready for deployment by the end of the year.

"We will continue to develop and strengthen our armed forces, considering the potential military threats and risks based on our experience of current armed conflicts. We will improve its effectiveness. Among our priorities (IN SHOT) is the equipping of troops with new weapons systems, which will define the fighting capacities of our army and fleet in the coming years and decades."

"Our armed forces now have unrivaled S-500 air and missiles defense systems. Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missiles have been successfully tested. We are planning for the first such complex (Sarmat) will be deployed by the end of the year," Putin confirmed.