CNN: Russian Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Test ‘Fails’

Russia carried out a test of a SARMAT intercontinental ballistic missile that appears to have failed, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the matter, as reported by CNN on Wednesday.

CNN initially reported that the test occurred while U.S. President Joe Biden was in Ukraine. After the story was published, one source clarified that the test occurred just before Biden's visit. The other official stated that the test took place on Monday, Feb. 20, without providing any specific timing.

One official told CNN that Russia had notified the U.S. in advance about the launch through deconfliction lines. The other official stated that the test did not pose a risk to the U.S., and that the U.S. did not view it as an anomaly or an escalation.

The SARMAT missile, nicknamed Satan II in the West, was first unveiled in 2016 and is said by Russian state media to have a range exceeding 11,000 kilometers. The missile can carry a warhead weighing 100 tons.

According to the officials, the SARMAT missile test appears to have failed. U.S. officials believe that, if it had been successful, Russian President Vladimir Putin would have highlighted the test in his State of the Nation address on Tuesday, but he made no mention of it.

Putin has announced successful ICBM tests in the past, including in April 2022, just months after Russia invaded Ukraine.

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