Putin praises Russia’s “Burevestnik” nuclear-powered missile and its civilian potential

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile represents a major scientific achievement, noting that its reactor is “1,000 times smaller than that of a nuclear submarine while having comparable power.”

Putin said the missile’s nuclear reactor can be activated “within minutes or even seconds,” and that technologies developed for Burevestnik could be applied in civilian industries and space programs.

He added that the same nuclear technologies would also be used in Russia’s lunar exploration projects and that the missile’s electronic systems are already being employed in space applications.