Russia’s Big Play: Testing a Super Missile While Putin Meets Trump
Get ready for a plot twist. Russia plans to put a nuclear cruise missile through its paces just as President Vladimir Putin is about to sit down with President Donald Trump in Alaska on Friday. The news came hot off the press from Reuters.
Sources Behind the Scene
- Jeffrey Lewis, a researcher at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, says satellite images are packing up.
- Decker Eveleth from the CNA research group adds, “Planet Labs’ pics show a lot of activity at the Pankovo test site in the Arctic Ocean.”
- An unnamed security source confirms that the same machines and ships that have been used for previous trials on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago are back on the scene.
Why the Timing Matters
With Trump and Putin meeting in a place as remote as Alaska, the world’s focus is on next‑level diplomacy. Meanwhile, Russia is humming the drums of a nuclear missile experiment, a private show that could ripple through the entire globe.
Bottom Line
Strap in: the Arctic is turning into a stage for both political drama and military testing. Will Putin and Trump shake hands over a peaceful deal, or will a nuclear missile’s launch echo the tension? Only time—and satellite lenses—twill tell.
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Ukraine Strikes a Major Oil Pipeline in a Sharpshooting Assault
1. What Went Down
On a scorching day of July, Ukraine’s forces delivered a thunderous blow to one of the world’s largest oil pipelines, crippling the flow of crude from one side of the globe to the other. The strike was quick, precise, and left the pipe looking like a broken arrow.
2. Russia’s Nuclear Playbook Unveiled
Meanwhile, back in Moscow, rumors are swirling that the Kremlin is gearing up to fire the 9M730 Burevestnik—smuggled by NATO under the code SSC‑X‑9 Skyfall. Former President Putin has once called it “invincible,” which is an understatement for a missile that could be the modern day “Flying Chernobyl.” The test could happen anytime this week, though the White House and the CIA remain tight‑fisted on commentary.
3. The Barents Sea: A Launchpad for Chaos
- Planet Labs satellite shots from mid‑July show a smorgasbord of cranes, stacks of shipping containers, a helicopter, and even radar‑pumped aircraft all clustered on Rogachevo airfield, part of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago.
- The Norwegian Armed Forces quietly confirmed that the Barents Sea is a prime spot for Russian missile tests, hinting at a possible “unstoppable doomsday” launch.
- In a move that feels like the Kremlin playing a dangerous game of hide‑and‑seek, it issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) covering a 40,000‑sq‑km swathe around Novaya Zemlya, valid until Tuesday, 12 August. It signals that Russian vessels have been staging at sea to keep a close eye on test activities.
4. Tension on High Alert
The combination of a powerful pipeline strike and a looming nuclear missile test has fans of geopolitical news sweating in their seats. Looks like Russia might be blinking its “Do good then.” Timer while under the radar of NATO’s watchful eye.
