Russian Ministry of Defense: Russian military successfully test-fired “Sarmat” ICBM
The Russian Ministry of Defense told reporters on the 20th that it had successfully launched the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, the Russian Satellite News Agency said.
The statement said: “At 15:12 Moscow time on April 20, a ‘Sarmat’ land-based intercontinental ballistic missile was successfully launched from the Plesetsk State Test Launch Site in the Arkhangelsk Region. “
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, this is the first launch in a national test program. The ministry said the training warhead hit a range target located in Kamchatka.
The Russian Ministry of Defense pointed out that the “Sarmat” is the most powerful and longest-range ballistic missile in the world today.
Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated the military on the successful test-fire of the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, Sputnik said. “This is a major event in the development of advanced weapon systems of the Russian army,” Putin said during a video conference on April 20. “The new complex has the highest tactical and technical characteristics and is capable of overcoming all modern anti-missile defense systems. There is no such thing in the world. Like it, it won’t be for a long time.”
Putin said that the Sarmat missile complex will guarantee Russia’s security and that it will force the minds of fanatics who are trying to threaten Russia.
U.S. official: U.S. was notified ahead of Russian missile test and tracked it closely
The United States has learned through an international notification agreement that Russia is planning to conduct an intercontinental ballistic missile test ahead of Wednesday’s (April 20) launch, CNN said, according to two U.S. officials.
The U.S. knew of the launch window and tracked the missile and was not concerned, officials said.
Under existing international agreements, both Russia and the United States will notify other countries of the test to avoid any incidents.
“It’s not surprising that tests like this are routine,” Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said.
Kirby said the United States “does not consider this test to be a threat to the United States or its allies.”
CNN said the “Sarmat” (RS-28 Sarmat) was designed to replace the Soviet-era Voevoda intercontinental ballistic missile, NATO named the SS-18 Satan.
Norway has donated about 100 Mistral anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine, the Norwegian Ministry of Defense (April 20) said.
Defense Minister Bjorn Arild Gram tweeted that the air defense system was “an effective weapon” that would be a “huge benefit” for Ukraine.
The missile will be phased out of the Norwegian Armed Forces. Other countries have donated similar systems, he said.
The weapons have been shipped to Ukraine.
According to CNN on Wednesday (April 20), the United Nations (UN) spokesman said that UN Secretary-General António Guterres (Antonio Guterres) asked Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow and Ukrainian President Vladimir Putin in Ukraine. Ladimir Zelensky meets to discuss urgent need for peace.
According to a statement from UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric, Guterres wanted to “discuss urgent measures to achieve peace in Ukraine and the future of multilateralism on the basis of the UN Charter and international law”.
Separate letters were delivered to the Russian and Ukrainian delegations on Tuesday (19th), the spokesman said. The spokesman noted that Guterres was awaiting responses from the Russian and Ukrainian governments to the meeting request, taking action “one step at a time”.
The spokesman said that if the secretary-general was going, he would accompany him himself, but could not elaborate on who else would go.
Nor would he elaborate on whether Secretary-General Guterres would travel to one country and not another if only one country accepts the request.
“We will wait to see a response and then we will make a decision based on the response received,” the spokesman said.
Asked if the secretary-general regretted not calling for a meeting sooner, the spokesman said Guterres “has been doing what he believes to be the most practical and best way to deploy his good offices and the work of the United Nations”.
“Unfortunately, this conflict (Russia-Ukraine) has continued and people have been suffering,” the spokesman said later.