Russia said it tested a new intercontinental ballistic missile, with President Vladimir Putin giving the US and its allies pause.

It almost certainly escalates the conflict almost two months after Russia invaded Ukraine, as its forces ramp up their offensive in the eastern Donbas region.

“This unique weapon will strengthen the military potential of our armed forces, will reliably guarantee Russia’s security against outside threats and force those who, in the heat of frenzied aggressive rhetoric, try to threaten our country to think again.” “Putin said on state television.”

The Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile was launched from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in northern Arkhangelsk. In 2018, the ministry showed videos of the latest missile generation. According to US Defense Department spokesman John Kirby, normal notification procedures were followed.

Putin has hinted at escalation by placing Russia’s strategic nuclear forces on alert just days after sending troops into Ukraine. He also warned that foreign intervention in the conflict would have “unprecedented consequences.”

US and EU arms deliveries have helped Ukraine thwart Russia’s refocused attack on the east after failed attempts to capture Kiev. Moreover, a no-fly zone over Ukraine would put NATO planes in direct opposition to Russian planes. And it won’t send troops to fight.

In an interview published Tuesday, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov avoided directly answering whether Russia might use atomic weapons in Ukraine, though he said Moscow was opposed to nuclear war.

In response to Finland and Sweden’s joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a top Putin ally threatened to deploy nuclear weapons in the Baltic Sea.

In this case, “there can be no talk of non-nuclear status for the Baltic,” said Dmitry Medvedev, former Russian president and deputy chief of the Russian Security Council.

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