European Security — 2026-05-13

Russia Tests Sarmat ICBM, Plans Operational Deployment by End of 2026

Russia's Strategic Rocket Forces commander General Sergei Karakayev reported to Putin on Tuesday that the RS-28 Sarmat ICBM was successfully launched from Plesetsk Cosmodrome at 11:15 a.m. Moscow time, per a Kremlin readout. Russian state media reported the missile struck its target at the Kura range on Kamchatka some 30 minutes later. Putin confirmed the first Sarmat-armed regiment will be stationed at Uzhur in Krasnoyarsk Krai by year's end and claimed the missile's combined warhead yield is fourfold that of any Western equivalent. The War Zone noted the results have not been independently verified; The Moscow Times reported the announcement comes roughly a week after the missile manufacturer's CEO was reportedly arrested on corruption charges.

Analysis
Tuesday's test is only Russia's second confirmed Sarmat success in four years of attempts, per uncorroborated Kremlin readout amplified by RT, with the program already six years past its original 2020 fielding date and the manufacturer's CEO reportedly under arrest on corruption charges. Operational deployment by year-end is unlikely, with moderate confidence resting on four missed deployment deadlines and no independent technical verification of Tuesday's result. The announcement's timing, days after Putin declared the Ukraine conflict nearing conclusion, suggests the year-end regiment commitment functions primarily as nuclear signaling rather than a binding operational target. New START's February expiration means a fielded Sarmat would supplement rather than replace existing ICBMs.

4 sources

Russia Slates Sarmat ICBM Deployment for Late 2026 - The Moscow Times
Russia successfully test-fires state-of-the-art ICBM (VIDEO) - RT
Russia Plans To Deploy Sarmat ICBM Operationally Later This Year - The War Zone
Putin hails Russia's test launch of a new ballistic missile - NPR