In May 2026, the world witnessed an important milestone in the development of Russia's strategic forces. On May 12, 2026, Commander of the Strategic Missile Forces (RVS) Sergey Karakaev reported to President of Russia Vladimir Putin on the successful test launch of the heavy intercontinental ballistic missile of the new generation «Sarmat»[citation:2][citation:7]. The President called this event a «major event in the life of the country» and confirmed that the first missile regiment with these complexes would be put on combat duty by the end of 2026[citation:3][citation:8]. «Sarmat» is the most powerful missile complex in the world, capable of reliably overcoming any anti-ballistic missile defense systems. What is the «Sarmat» missile? The «Sarmat» missile complex (classified by NATO as SS-X-30 or «Satan-2») was created to replace the Soviet heavy missile R-36M2 «Voevoda», known in the West as «Satan»[citation:2]. It is a liquid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missile with silo-based deployment, designed to strike targets on other continents. Its main feature is the ability to carry a huge payload and deliver several independent warheads to different targets. «Sarmat» became the first strategic missile complex in the world created using «hypersonic» equipment technologies. One of the key characteristics of the new weapon is its mass. The launch mass of the missile is 208.1 tons, and the payload reaches 10 tons[citation:7]. This allows it to carry up to 12 individually guided warheads, including the hypersonic glide vehicle «Avangard», which has already been put on experimental combat duty[citation:1][citation:8]. Each such block is capable of maneuvering in flight and flying at hypersonic speed, making interception virtually impossible. Key characteristics of the «Sarmat» Unbelievable range. The declared flight range of the «Sarmat» exceeds 35,000 kilometers[citation:1][citation:8]. For comparison, the length of ... Read more