Russia Completes Trials of Miniaturized Nuclear Reactor for Missiles, Underwater Drones

"Russia has completed the trials of miniaturized nuclear power units for cruise missiles of unlimited range and for autonomous submersibles of an oceanic multi-purpose system. To date, those technologies have been designed and put into practice only by Russia," the source said.

The source said that Russia had sent signals to "its uncooperative Western partners" in the past, intended to show them "the futility of their attempts to neutralize our strategic potential by the deployment of missile shield elements."

Those signals included a leak about Russia’s project to build underwater drones of unlimited range, which was made on purpose several years ago in a bid to spur a dialogue on global security with Western partners.

"Instead, our Western counterparts have made a serious mistake because of their illusion of superiority and technological advantage. They have chosen to ignore our signals. Now it’s they who have to catch up and bear all due consequences, first of all for the purses of their taxpayers," the source said.

The source described West’s policies regarding Moscow as "strategic blindness to Russia and its capabilities."

"That’s why one of important ideas voiced during the [president’s State of the Nation] address is a proposal to stop fuelling a new arms race and to start searching for ways of preserving peace," he said.

On Thursday, in his speech to the Federal Assembly Russian President Vladimir Putin unveiled the most advanced systems of strategic weapons, developed in response to Washington’s unilateral withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty (ABM Treaty) and practical deployment of missile shield elements both inside the US and outside its borders.

Among the new cutting-edge weapons are the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, the Kinzhal hypersonic weapons system, a nuclear-armed cruise missile, as well as a dual-capable unmanned underwater vehicle, which is meant for conventional and nuclear missions.