Moscow —
Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed that what he called the world’s most powerful missile system — dubbed “Satan II” by NATO — will be ready for “combat duty” by the end of the year after a successful test on Tuesday.
The Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile has an expected range over 10,000 kilometers (6,200 miles) and can reportedly carry up to 16 independently targeted nuclear warheads, according to the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance, a US-based nonprofit. Putin claims the range extends to more than 35,000 kilometers (21,750 miles).
“The combined yield of the payload is more than four times greater than that of any existing Western…