Putin says intercontinental ballistic missiles will be deployed soon

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday announced plans to soon deploy the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missiles in combat as part of the Kremlin's efforts to modernize the country's nuclear forces.

Russia has been developing the Sarmat ICBM, known to Western analysts as Satan II, since 2009. Designed to elude tracking systems and carry multiple warheads, Putin has claimed the missile can strike anywhere on Earth.

"In the near future, Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missiles will be put on combat duty for the first time," Putin said at a Ministry of Defense Board meeting, according to translated remarks.

He also said that 91% of weapons in Russia's strategic nuclear forces have been modernized, and the military is still in the process of reequipping the Strategic Missile Forces with hypersonic warheads. 

Russia has been accused of using hypersonic weapons, which travel at least five times faster than the speed of sound, during its invasion of Ukraine.