Is Vladimir Putin Rushing Through Testing Of His Mysterious Hypersonic Nuclear Missile?

Russian President Vladimir Putin is scaling up the testing of his "mystery hypersonic nuclear missile," according to new satellite photographs.

The Sun reported that the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile was reportedly seen at a testing site in a remote area of northern Russia earlier this month. The missile is dubbed as a "flying Chernobyl" by experts.

An expert found images this month that reportedly showed the deadly missile being prepared at the remote former Soviet nuclear testing range. It is located in Novaya Zemlya, way up in the Arctic Circle. On the basis of the images, the Burevestnik missile's transport tank has recently been moved in front of the launch rails at the Pankovo site, and support ships have also been scrambled to the area. It includes the huge nuclear-powered cargo ship Sevmorput.

Military analyst Tony Roper has spent many years studying satellite images from Novaya Zemlya. He obtained new pictures last to last weekend, and he shared them on his personal website.

He told The Barents Observer that it is "definitely Burevestnik."

The images were taken from a space image snapped by Airbus on Sept. 16. They purportedly showed that Burevestnik has been prepared for launch at the Pankovo base. A canister similar to the one that was previously seen in a clip published by Russia's Defence Ministry, could be seen next to the rails on a launch pad covered by a retractable shelter.

Other smaller infrastructure improvements seem to have been put in place around the base. The changes appear to have happened over the summer. The infrastructure improvements include a new jetty on the shore where equipment is landed from ships in the Barents Sea before being moved to the base. The road to the base has also been improved. Helicopters, shelters, new buildings and concrete pads have been constructed as well.

The news comes as Putin has stepped up his threats to nuke his rivals in the wake of Russia's war in Ukraine. Last week, the Russian leader gave a chilling address to his people. He announced the partial mobilization of his country. Up to 300,000 conscripts have been called up for active duty.

Experts said that Putin's nuclear threat is a "desperate bluff." But it proves that he is prepared to up the stakes in a bid to save his doomed war in Ukraine.

The Burevestnik missile was publically announced in March 2018 by Putin during his annual address to the nation. At the time, five other so-called "super weapons" were also announced. The deadly missile, which means "storm petrel" in Russian, was believed to have been first successfully test-fired in January 2020. It was expected to be completed by 2025, but insiders suggest that its development has been sped up amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.