[Report: Putin puts Satan II nuclear missile on Combat Duty
Russia has put the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missiles - nicknamed Satan II - on combat duty, the head of Russia’s space agency Roscosmos said.
The missiles are capable of carrying 10 or more nuclear warheads. In June, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Sarmat missiles would be deployed for combat duty “soon”.
It comes as a Ukrainian drone attacked a town in western Russia, home to one of the country’s biggest nuclear power stations, as Russian air defences intercepted drones heading toward three western regions.
Regional governors said defence systems stopped three drones in the Kursk, Belgorod and Moscow regions.
Governor Roman Starovoit said a Ukrainian drone had damaged the facade of a building in the town of Kurchatov, just a few kilometres from the Kursk nuclear power station, early on Friday.
He had earlier said there were two drones but clarified his remarks.
“There are no casualties,” Mr Starovoit said. He did not mention any potential damage to the Kursk nuclear power plant.
Russian attacks kill one civilian, wound three in Ukraine One man was killed in Russian shelling of the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson on Friday and three people were wounded in a missile attack in the central region of Vinnytsia overnight, Ukrainian authorities said.
The 34-year-old man was hit in a residential area of Kherson close to 12:50 p.m. local time (0950 GMT), the military administration there said.
The three civilians were wounded when a Russian missile struck a business in Vinnytsia region, the regional governor said.
“They are being provided with all necessary assistance,” Serhiy Borzov wrote on the Telegram messaging service.
Ukraine‘s air force said it shot down a second missile fired overnight. The missile was downed over the central Kirovohrad region, the local governor said on Telegram.
Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.