Russia cools Western ‘hotheads’ playing with ‘umbrella concepts’ — MFA on Sarmat

Sergey Ryabkov stressed that Russia "did not expect, does not expect, and will not expect any reaction from Western adversaries" to tests of both new and existing systems

MOSCOW, May 16. /TASS/. Russia must calmly and confidently demonstrate its capabilities to cool Western hotheads playing with nuclear umbrella concepts, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told journalists.

"We must confidently, calmly, firmly, and responsibly demonstrate our capabilities to cool down the hotheads, of which there are many along our western borders, who are playing with various umbrella concepts," he said, noting that Russia views with irony Western attempts to show feigned indifference to the test.

He stressed that Russia "did not expect, does not expect, and will not expect any reaction from Western adversaries" to tests of both new and existing systems. "For them, every such event is a chance to demonstrate quasi-indifference," Ryabkov told TASS.

He added that no "umbrellas" will save those who, "in their inflamed minds, dream of victory over Russia." "We do not live in a world of illusions. We are responsible for military security and ensuring our citizens know nothing threatens them, and that no one imagining this is the moment to test Russia’s strength will succeed," the diplomat said.

Earlier, Commander of the Strategic Missile Forces Sergey Karakayev reported to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the successful launch of the Sarmat. The Russian Armed Forces plan to deploy the first regiment equipped with this ICBM by the end of the year.

Putin noted that the Sarmat is the most powerful missile system in the world -- four times more powerful than the most capable Western counterparts. Its range exceeds 35,000 km. The missile can follow not only a ballistic but also a suborbital trajectory, penetrating all existing and prospective missile defense systems.

Read more on the site →