On Tuesday, Russian state media announced the introduction of its submarine-launched Bulava intercontinental ballistic missile to its nuclear arsenal.
Since the inception of the war in Ukraine, Putin has warned against direct intervention by NATO troops with potential consequences including nuclear conflict. In March, Putin declared that Russia’s nuclear forces were “technically ready” for such conflict. According to Russian state media TASS news agency, the missile’s chief designer stated the official adoption of the missile occurred in a decree on May 7. That same day Vladimir Putin began a new six-year term. Last November, Russia’s defense minister announced a successful test launch of the Bulava conducted underwater in the White Sea. The test successfully struck a target thousands of kilometers away on the Kamchatka peninsula. The Bulava is designed to be deployed via Russia’s Borei-class submarines, of which Russia has seven, each carrying 16 Bulavas. According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Russian Bulava has a range of 5,160 miles and a payload of max 10 multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles (MIRVs). These MIRVs are each capable of delivering nuclear warheads to different targets.
