DID Press: Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Wednesday, October 29, 2025, that a nuclear torpedo called “Poseidon” had been launched from a submarine the previous day and successfully recovered. According to Putin, the torpedo—the largest ever built—is approximately 20 meters long, 2 meters in diameter, weighs over 90 tons, and is powered by a nuclear propulsion system.
This test marks Russia’s second nuclear weapons demonstration in less than two weeks. Last week (October 21), Moscow tested a nuclear-powered cruise missile named “Burevestnik,” which reportedly flew for 15 hours over a distance of about 14,000 kilometers. Russia claims that Poseidon has a range of up to 10,000 kilometers, a speed of around 100 km/h, an operational depth of up to 1,000 meters, and can carry a nuclear warhead ranging from 2 to 100 megatons.
Russian officials assert that the weapon can evade missile defense systems and, if deployed, could generate a “radioactive tsunami.” The Kremlin has announced plans to produce 30 of these torpedoes and deploy them on the Belgorod and Khabarovsk submarines, each capable of carrying up to six torpedoes.
The timing of these two tests—after the cancellation of a meeting between Russian and U.S. leaders and amid a deadlock in Ukraine-related negotiations—sends a multifaceted message from Moscow.
Analysts identify three main objectives of this show of force: first, to demonstrate Russia’s technical capability despite sanctions; second, to show continued strategic deterrence against Western missile defense systems; and third, to exert psychological and political pressure on Washington during negotiations.
From a tactical perspective, Poseidon’s ability to lie in wait at ocean depths and its difficulty to detect and intercept makes the weapon a threat that generates significant uncertainty and psychological impact for military planners, even without actual use. Overall, it appears Moscow aims to strengthen its negotiating position and signal that it will employ military tools to achieve strategic objectives if under diplomatic pressure.