Russia to Place Sarmat ICBM on Combat Alert By the End of the Year

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the Sarmat heavy intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) was successfully tested, and would be put on combat alert by the end of the year. 

According to Russian state media, Commander of the Strategic Missile Forces Sergey Karakayev informed Putin of the successful test. On Tuesday, Putin said, "Sarmat will indeed be placed on combat alert by the end of this year."

Karakayev explained that the Sarmat "will significantly enhance the combat capabilities of the ground-based strategic nuclear forces to guarantee the destruction of targets and. . .