Putin is intensely preparing a test with the “invincible” burevestnik rocket, with nuclear propulsion, despite the meeting with Trump. “Work on maximum tour” is worked on “

Russia seems to prepare to test its new propulsion and nuclear -loaded cruise missile, according to two American researchers and a Western source in the field of security, even while President Vladimir Putin is preparing for discussions with his American counterpart, Donald Trump, on Friday on Ukraine, writes Reuters.

Jeffrey Lewis, a researcher at the Institute of International Middlebury Institute in California, and Decker Eveleth, at the Naval Analysis Center (CNA), based in Virginia, have reached the same conclusions separately, studying the images taken in recent weeks by Planet Labs, a commercial satellite company.

The two researchers believe that the photos show an intense activity at the Pankovo Testing Polygon in the Novaya Zemlya Archipelago in the Barents, including an increase in staff and equipment, as well as the ships and aircraft associated with previous 9M730 Burevestnik (Storm Petl).

“We can see all the activity at the test site, which consists of both huge quantities of equipment that arrive to support operations, as well as movements at the launch place,” Lewis said.

A western source in the field of security, which has requested not to be identified, confirmed that Russia is preparing a test with the Burevestnik rocket.

Lewis said the test could take place this week, which increases that it is eclipsed by the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska.

Requested to provide a point of view, the White House did not approach the possibility of a Burevestnik rocket test. The Pentagon, the CIA and the Russian Defense Ministry also refused to comment.

Putin said this weapon-called “SSC-X-9 Skyfall” in NATO coding-is “invincible” for current and future missile defense systems, having an almost unpleasant range and an unpredictable trajectory.

🇷🇺 Russia is reportedly finalizing preparations for another test of the burevestnik intercontinental cruise missile, equipped with a nuclear propulsion system.

From August 7 to 12, Russian Forces Closed of 500-Km Stretch of Airspace Along the Western Coast of the Archipelago,… pic.twitter.com/jn4gc2hymd

– DD Geopolitics (@dd_geopolitics) August 13, 2025

Lewis, Eveleth and two other armament control experts have said that the development of the missile has gained increased importance for Moscow since Trump announced in January the development of an American missile named Golden Dome.

However, many experts say that it is not clear whether the rocket can avoid defense systems, if it will provide Moscow capabilities that it does not already have and if it will emit radiation along its trajectory.

The test would have been scheduled long before last week's announcement on the meeting between Trump and Putin, researchers and experts said.

But Putin could have suspended the preparations, given the American spy satellites, to signal their opening to the conclusion of the Ukraine war, as well as the resumption of US negotiations, experts said. The New Start treaty, the last pact between the US and Russia limiting the strategic nuclear weapons, expires on February 5th.

“Sometimes you can detach or postpone the program for political reasons,” said Tom Countryman, former undersecretary of interim state to control armament.

The Burevestnik rocket had weak test results, according to the Group of Advocacy Nuclear Threat Initiatives, with two partial successes of 13 known tests.

Special planes

Eveleth and Lewis said the Planet Labs images show stacks of transport containers, equipment and employees who have arrived since the end of July.

Lewis said that two planes equipped for the collection of test data were parked at the Rogachevo military aerodrome in the archipelago since mid -July. The images he provided to the Reuters agency show two large plate-shaped radar aircraft.

He noted the presence of at least five ships associated with previous tests. A specialized site in the field of trace of ships – vesselfinder.com – showed that the sixth ship related to previous tests was to arrive on Tuesday, the researcher said.

Reuters confirmed that the site showed the ship, a cargobot called Teriberka, to Novaya Zemlya, but could not independently confirm the other discoveries of the researchers.

Eveleth and Lewis also said they started examining the Pankovo images from July, after Russia published, on August 6, a note asking the sailors to keep away from the area on August 9-12.

Reuters found a number of such marks on the notam of the US Aviation Administration, issued by Russia, indicating a possible launch window between August 9 and 22.

The Norwegian army told Reuters in an e-mail that the Barents Sea is a “privileged location for Russian missile tests” and that it has maritime ads and warnings on “preparations for test activities”.

However, he said that he “confirms any information about the type of ammunition to be tested.”

Eveleth said that at the end of July he noticed that a shelter that protected the Burevestnik missile launcher was moved back and forth, in what he had “a very clear proof” of the test plans.

Lewis provided to the Reuters Agency on the scene on August 7, which shows the launcher protector, transport containers, a crane for moving them and a helicopter.

“It works on maximum tour,” he said about the pace of preparations for testing.