Russia’s nuclear-powered missile and the next deterrence frontier calls for scrutiny and discussions

RAdm. Sanjay Roye (retd)

When Russia first revealed the 9M730 Burevestnik, a nuclear-powered, nuclear-armed cruise missile, it was hard to tell whether the announcement belonged more to science fiction than reality. President Vladimir Putin’s 2018 unveiling speech promised a missile with ‘virtually unlimited range,’ capable of flying under radar, circling the globe, and striking from any direction. Moscow described it as a revolutionary leap in strategic deterrence: a missile that could render Western missile-defence systems obsolete.

Seven years on, the Burevestnik is again making headlines. Russia’s military leaders recently claimed a successful test, with the missile reportedly flying 14,000 km over 15 hours before reaching its target. Reuters reported that the system had been under experimental development for years and that the latest tests took place at an Arctic range long associated with nuclear-propelled prototypes. Whether or not these claims stand up to independent scrutiny, one thing is clear: Russia wants the world to believe it has crossed a new threshold in long-range nuclear capability.

A ‘Flying Chernobyl’ or the Future of Deterrence?

The Burevestnik, as its name suggest is a ‘catalyst for chaos’. Literally translated to ‘Storm Petrel’, a small seabird that flies in stormy weather or, metaphorically, a person who causes or thrives on trouble and conflict, the Burevestnik is designed around an audacious concept. A compact nuclear reactor that