Russia is testing a nuclear torpedo in the Arctic that has the power to trigger radioactive tsunamis off the US coast

Thomas Colson
·2 min read
putin Russia torpedo arctic
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  • Russia is testing a nuclear torpedo in the Arctic.

  • The 'doomsday' device has the power to trigger radioactive tsunamis off America's east coast.

  • The Pentagon said it was watching developments "very closely."

  • See more stories on Insider's business page.

Russia is reportedly planning to deploy a nuclear-powered missile to the Arctic next summer which is designed to detonate off the coastlines of enemy countries, as the country amasses a growing presence in the region, CNN reported.

Satellite images this week provided to CNN by Maxar, a satellite company, indicate that is Russia testing new weapons in the region and building significant military infrastructure there, which is increasingly free of ice due to climate change.

CNN reported that Russia will deploy the Poseidon 2M39 missile to its Arctic region next summer, which has been referred to in reports as a "doomsday" device due to its devastating power.

The device, images of which first surfaced on Russian state television in 2015, is an underwater nuclear torpedo that is designed to hit the ocean floor, kicking up a radioactive tsunami that could spread deadly radiation over thousands of miles of land, rendering it uninhabitable.

Russian President Vladimir Putin requested an update on a "key stage" of the tests in February from his defense minister and further tests are expected later this year, the Times of London newspaper reported.

Russia and NATO countries with a presence in the Arctic region have both been increasing their activity there in recent years as rising sea temperatures make it more accessible, Insider's Christopher Woody reported.

Russia has the world's longest Arctic coastline and derives around a quarter of its GDP from the region, and the Northern Sea Route is a valuable shipping corridor for Moscow.

The Pentagon on Monday said it was watching reports of Russian military activities and infrastructure build-ups in the Arctic "very closely."

"Without getting into specific intelligence assessments, obviously we're monitoring it very closely," said Pentagon press secretary John F. Kirby at a briefing Monday.

"Obviously we're watching this, and as I said before, we have national security interests there that we know ... we need to protect and defend," Kirby said.

"And as I said, nobody's interested in seeing the Arctic become militarized."

Read the original article on Business Insider

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