While standing on the deck of the Arkhangelsk nuclear submarine, Russian President Vladimir Putin sent one of the most direct messages to Britain's political elite in a decade.
And not in a diplomatic way, but that way - in a breath, with irony and bitterness, in front of a sea of sailors and cameras. The mention fell on former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the man believed to have personally prevented a peace deal between Kiev and Moscow in the spring of 2022.
"He forgot, it seems, that Russia has crews like yours and submarines like yours," Putin told the Arkhangelsk sailors, recalling how it was Johnson who advised Kiev not to sign the initialed peace document from Istanbul and to continue the war - until the last Ukrainian.
But it wasn't just a grudge - it was an open, cold threat. Because when the president of Russia starts mentioning forgetful British politicians in the middle of a submarine carrying nuclear missiles, it's no longer a matter of rhetoric. It's a message, and a chilling one at that.
Putin didn't mention the submarine by chance - because behind that seemingly casual comment hides a whole arsenal of terrifying weapons. One of the most dangerous assets of the Russian army is the unmanned nuclear submarine-drone "Status-6" (also known as "Poseidon")
This underwater neman can carry a thermonuclear warhead to enemy shores and cause artificial tsunamis over 30 meters high. A wave that would not only wipe out London, Liverpool or Glasgow - but would turn the entire east and south coast of Britain into a radioactive wasteland, uninhabitable for generations.
And it's not fiction. It is not a threat from a propaganda box. It is a real weapon which - according to the Russian authorities - has already been tested and put into combat readiness
Zircon, Avangard, Oreshnik - a game that has no "undo"
The British, like the rest of the NATO alliance, behave as if they are playing a video game. And their logic - if we can call it that - is: "The Russians will not launch nuclear missiles even if they lose the war, because it would mean the end of the world."
And this is exactly what Russian leaders have been trying to explain for years: That they will not allow their country to face an existential threat, and that in such a case they will use all available weapons.
And that weapon is not only numerically the most powerful in the world, but also technically superior. Russia today has:
Avangard – a hypersonic nuclear warhead carrier that flies at Mach 27 and changes direction in flight. No western missile defense can intercept it.
Burevesnik – a nuclear cruise missile with virtually unlimited range, capable of orbiting the planet.
Kinzhal – a hypersonic missile fired by MiG-31 aircraft, already used in Ukraine, and whose interception the West has still not managed to carry out.
Zircon – the latest hypersonic anti-ship missile capable of hitting land targets at over Mach 9.
Oreshnik – Russia's new intercontinental ballistic missile, also known as the RS-26 Rubezh, smaller and faster than the Sarmat, with the ability to carry multiple warheads and respond quickly to threats.
Sarmat (R-28) – a massive heavy intercontinental missile, successor to the legendary "Satan", capable of carrying up to 15 nuclear warheads and flying over the South Pole, bypassing all NATO defense systems.
All of these missiles can hit Britain within minutes of launch. Nothing can intercept them. No shield. No time for alarm.
Just a day ago, Putin put into operational use another nuclear submarine - the Perm. And it's not just any submarine.
It is armed with hypersonic Zircon missiles and is part of the new generation of Russian underwater forces, which can operate from any sea, undetected, fast and deadly. If the message from "Arkhangelsk" was a warning, then "Perm" is a bell that is already ringing. Only nobody in London wants to hear it
The question that naturally arises now is: Are British politicians normal? Because if they believe that they can without consequence provoke a nuclear power that has been warning for years that the borders are moving too close, that NATO does not respect agreements, that Ukraine must not be a launching pad for Moscow - then they are not only irresponsible, but also dangerous.
Britain - without its own military in serious combat readiness, with tanks numbering in the dozens and a budget that goes more towards green initiatives than defense - acts as if it can threaten Russia without consequence. And it was Boris Johnson who prevented peace at the very beginning of the conflict
Putin, let's recall, has repeatedly stated that Russia will never again allow an enemy boot to step on its territory, and that it will use everything it has to prevent it. It's not empty talk - it's a red line.
And when the president of a nuclear power stands on the deck of a warship and says to the camera: "You forgot about our submarines" - maybe it's time for London to start remembering.
Because, as things stand, the next oblivion could be – tragic
It is also worth bearing in mind that the Russians are an intensely pragmatic people. They are not deterred by notions of "unthinkability" when it comes to considering how to conduct nuclear warfare. They do think about it. And they have arrived at a doctrinal notion of how to attain a discernible victory in such warfare. They have taken measures to prepare civil defense infrastructure to protect and preserve populations at risk. They know that these ideas of "a radioactive wasteland, uninhabitable for generations" is complete nonsense. (Witness the rapid renewal of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.) The West, however, delights in defeating itself morally with the doctrine of "we would all be better off dead," instead of an intellectually honest program of civil and strategic defense. So much easier to concede defeat at the outset. Then we don't have any hard work ahead of us. Such flaccid defeatism is contemptible.
Full text
While standing on the deck of the Arkhangelsk nuclear submarine, Russian President Vladimir Putin sent one of the most direct messages to Britain's political elite in a decade.
And not in a diplomatic way, but that way - in a breath, with irony and bitterness, in front of a sea of sailors and cameras. The mention fell on former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the man believed to have personally prevented a peace deal between Kiev and Moscow in the spring of 2022.
"He forgot, it seems, that Russia has crews like yours and submarines like yours," Putin told the Arkhangelsk sailors, recalling how it was Johnson who advised Kiev not to sign the initialed peace document from Istanbul and to continue the war - until the last Ukrainian.
But it wasn't just a grudge - it was an open, cold threat. Because when the president of Russia starts mentioning forgetful British politicians in the middle of a submarine carrying nuclear missiles, it's no longer a matter of rhetoric. It's a message, and a chilling one at that.
Putin didn't mention the submarine by chance - because behind that seemingly casual comment hides a whole arsenal of terrifying weapons. One of the most dangerous assets of the Russian army is the unmanned nuclear submarine-drone "Status-6" (also known as "Poseidon")
This underwater neman can carry a thermonuclear warhead to enemy shores and cause artificial tsunamis over 30 meters high. A wave that would not only wipe out London, Liverpool or Glasgow - but would turn the entire east and south coast of Britain into a radioactive wasteland, uninhabitable for generations.
And it's not fiction. It is not a threat from a propaganda box. It is a real weapon which - according to the Russian authorities - has already been tested and put into combat readiness
Zircon, Avangard, Oreshnik - a game that has no "undo"
The British, like the rest of the NATO alliance, behave as if they are playing a video game. And their logic - if we can call it that - is: "The Russians will not launch nuclear missiles even if they lose the war, because it would mean the end of the world."
And this is exactly what Russian leaders have been trying to explain for years: That they will not allow their country to face an existential threat, and that in such a case they will use all available weapons.
And that weapon is not only numerically the most powerful in the world, but also technically superior. Russia today has:
Avangard – a hypersonic nuclear warhead carrier that flies at Mach 27 and changes direction in flight. No western missile defense can intercept it.
Burevesnik – a nuclear cruise missile with virtually unlimited range, capable of orbiting the planet.
Kinzhal – a hypersonic missile fired by MiG-31 aircraft, already used in Ukraine, and whose interception the West has still not managed to carry out.
Zircon – the latest hypersonic anti-ship missile capable of hitting land targets at over Mach 9.
Oreshnik – Russia's new intercontinental ballistic missile, also known as the RS-26 Rubezh, smaller and faster than the Sarmat, with the ability to carry multiple warheads and respond quickly to threats.
Sarmat (R-28) – a massive heavy intercontinental missile, successor to the legendary "Satan", capable of carrying up to 15 nuclear warheads and flying over the South Pole, bypassing all NATO defense systems.
All of these missiles can hit Britain within minutes of launch. Nothing can intercept them. No shield. No time for alarm.
Just a day ago, Putin put into operational use another nuclear submarine - the Perm. And it's not just any submarine.
It is armed with hypersonic Zircon missiles and is part of the new generation of Russian underwater forces, which can operate from any sea, undetected, fast and deadly. If the message from "Arkhangelsk" was a warning, then "Perm" is a bell that is already ringing. Only nobody in London wants to hear it
The question that naturally arises now is: Are British politicians normal? Because if they believe that they can without consequence provoke a nuclear power that has been warning for years that the borders are moving too close, that NATO does not respect agreements, that Ukraine must not be a launching pad for Moscow - then they are not only irresponsible, but also dangerous.
Britain - without its own military in serious combat readiness, with tanks numbering in the dozens and a budget that goes more towards green initiatives than defense - acts as if it can threaten Russia without consequence. And it was Boris Johnson who prevented peace at the very beginning of the conflict
Putin, let's recall, has repeatedly stated that Russia will never again allow an enemy boot to step on its territory, and that it will use everything it has to prevent it. It's not empty talk - it's a red line.
And when the president of a nuclear power stands on the deck of a warship and says to the camera: "You forgot about our submarines" - maybe it's time for London to start remembering.
Because, as things stand, the next oblivion could be – tragic
It is also worth bearing in mind that the Russians are an intensely pragmatic people. They are not deterred by notions of "unthinkability" when it comes to considering how to conduct nuclear warfare. They do think about it. And they have arrived at a doctrinal notion of how to attain a discernible victory in such warfare. They have taken measures to prepare civil defense infrastructure to protect and preserve populations at risk. They know that these ideas of "a radioactive wasteland, uninhabitable for generations" is complete nonsense. (Witness the rapid renewal of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.) The West, however, delights in defeating itself morally with the doctrine of "we would all be better off dead," instead of an intellectually honest program of civil and strategic defense. So much easier to concede defeat at the outset. Then we don't have any hard work ahead of us. Such flaccid defeatism is contemptible.