Russia is brandishing a new old nuclear weapon: it announces a new test with the “Poseidon” torpedo. Little stated that the weapon cannot be intercepted

Russia has conducted a test of the Poseidon underwater torpedo, equipped with a nuclear propulsion system, President Vladimir Putin said, describing the test as a success and asserting that the device could not be intercepted.

According to the statements made by the Russian leader in front of soldiers wounded in the war in Ukraine, the launch took place on Tuesday. “Yesterday there was another test of a prospective system — the unmanned underwater device >, also equipped with a nuclear reactor,” Putin said. He added that, for the first time, not only the launch from a carrier submarine was achieved, but also the start of a nuclear module that worked for a certain period. “It's a huge success”, declared the president, also claiming that the torpedo cannot be intercepted.

Russian and US officials have previously described the Poseidon as a deterrent type of weapon, capable, in theory, of causing radioactive waves and rendering entire stretches of coastline uninhabitable — claims that have raised international concerns.

The announcement regarding the torpedo test comes a few days after another military demonstration by Russia: on October 21, Moscow authorities announced the launch of the Burevestnik nuclear missile, dubbed by analysts the “flying Chernobyl” — a project heavily criticized in the West and which, according to some experts, presents significant risks of radioactive contamination.

US President Donald Trump criticized the tests, warning that the United States maintains nuclear submarines in waters near Russia and stressing that Washington is “not playing around” in the face of these challenges.

What is known about the nuclear torpedo

The Poseidon is one of the weapons systems first announced in 2018, along with the Burevestnik cruise missile, which Russia claims has virtually unlimited range thanks to its nuclear propulsion.

Russian sources promoting the weapon claim that the “Poseidon” can reach speeds of up to 115 mph (approx. 185 km/h) underwater and penetrate to depths of approx. 915 m. The Kremlin also compared the power of the “Poseidon” to that of the Sarmat intercontinental missile, claiming that it is greater.

Critics, however, question the practical utility and rationale behind such programs. One security expert described the “Burevestnik” as a “stupid weapon” and argued that its use would be equivalent in practice to a radiological bomb if it combined a nuclear propulsion system with a conventional warhead. According to some analysts, the Russians had intercontinental missiles to fulfill the strategic roles claimed by these projects.

It remains unclear to what extent the announced weapons will actually be integrated into the operational equipment or will remain the subject of tests and public rhetoric. The Kremlin claims that the new systems increase Russia's deterrence capabilities, while Western experts warn of the technical and ecological risks that such technologies entail.