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Matt Drudge has Russia deploys new set of strategic nuclear missiles

The chief of Russia’s strategic forces on Saturday attended the deployment of a new set of state-of-the art intercontinental ballistic missiles, boasting of their capability to penetrate any prospective missile defense, news reports said.

Col. Gen. Nikolai Solovtsov, chief of the Strategic Missile Forces, took part in a ceremony that marked the commissioning of the latest set of Topol-M missiles at a missile base in Tatishchevo in the Volga River’s Saratov region.

Solovtsov said Saturday that the new missile “is capable of penetrating any missile defense system,” the RIA Novosti and Interfax news agencies reported.

Russian officials have called prospective U.S. missile defenses destabilizing and boasted repeatedly that Russia’s new missiles could pierce any nation’s missile shield.

The Topol-M missiles, capable of hitting targets more than 10,000 kilometers (6,000 miles) away, have so far been deployed in silos. The mobile version, mounted on a heavy off-road vehicle, is to enter combat service next year, Solovtsov said.

The deployed Topol-Ms have been fitted with single nuclear warheads, but officials have considered plans to equip each missile with three individually targeted warheads.

Merry Christmas from the Russians – a NEW strategic missle with the capability of destroying American cities.

Topol-M Missle

Here is a pre-deployment story on the Topol-M.

And the Russians have already tested earlier in the month a newly developed sea-based ICBM, the Bulava.

Russia successfully test-launched a newly developed intercontinental ballistic missile on Wednesday for the first time under water, the navy said.

The Bulava, a solid fuel missile, blasted off from the nuclear submarine Dmitry Donskoy in the White Sea and hit its designated target in the far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula, chief naval spokesman Capt. Igor Dygalo told The Associated Press.

“This is the second test-firing of the new generation missile Bulava and the first underwater launch of the missile,” he said.

Russia’s navy is to get two newly equipped nuclear submarines in 2006, armed with the new Bulava intercontinental ballistic missiles, the navy commander said in April. The missiles have a range of 5,000 miles.

Each submarine will be equipped with 12 missiles, the Interfax news agency reported.

In December last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin encouraged the Defense Ministry to keep up production of new strategic missile systems, a process slowed in the past by a shortage of funds.

And……“OUR FRIENDS?” the Russians are selling nuclear missle technology to the Iranians with help from the North Koreans.