The two big dogs of the modern geopolitical landscape are set to meet this week on the Alaskan frontier:
Ahead of that meeting, however, Vlad Putin is apparently making moves to flex his nuclear muscle.
From Reuters:
Russia appears to be preparing to test its new nuclear-armed, nuclear-powered cruise missile, according to two U.S. researchers and a Western security source, even as Russian President Vladimir Putin readies for talks on Ukraine with U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday.
Just out of curiosity ... does "testing a nuclear-armed missile" mean that they're going to detonate a nuclear warhead?
Presumably — hopefully — that's not the case! Indeed, Russia's last confirmed nuclear test was in 1990, and the country is a signatory to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (though they haven't ratified it).
Still, a missile test like this is obviously a show of force. The (presumed) testing site is reportedly the "Barents Sea archipelago of Novaya Zemlya," northeast of the Nordic countries.
"Stacks of shipping containers, equipment, and personnel" have reportedly been arriving at the location for weeks, while "two aircraft equipped to gather test data" are also in the area.
Meanwhile, Reuters said it "found a series of notices on the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration's Defense Internet NOTAM Service issued by Russia showing a possible launch window between August 9-22."
(So, you know, like ... right now.)
Though the alleged test obviously raises alarm bell, some experts say it is "unclear the missile can evade defenses, will not give Moscow capabilities it does not already have, and will spew radiation along its flight path."
Good luck with that, Russia!
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