Indicating that Russia may be advancing towards deploying these weapons, according to a nuclear forces expert.
Pavel Podvig, an authority on Russia's nuclear arsenal, told *Newsweek* that while the images suggest Moscow is moving closer to operational deployment of the 9M370 Burevestnik missile—a nuclear-powered, nuclear-armed cruise missile—it is too early to confirm whether these weapons are fully operational.
"The system seems to be nearing some form of operational deployment because the site looks like an operational facility," Podvig said. "However, it's still too soon to say that the missiles are actually deployed there, but it appears to be heading in that direction."
*Reuters* reported that two American scientists identified the construction project near a nuclear warhead storage facility known as Vologda-20 and Chebsara, about 300 miles north of Moscow, through satellite images taken by commercial firm Planet Labs.
The Burevestnik, with the NATO code name SSC-X-9 Skyfall, is a nuclear-powered cruise missile and was part of a suite of next-generation weapons unveiled by Putin in March 2018. He touted its near-unlimited range and ability to evade U.S. missile defenses. The missile is believed to have a range of around 15,000 miles, surpassing the 11,000-mile range of Russia's newest ICBM, the Sarmat.
*Reuters* noted that satellite images show nine horizontal launchpads under construction, arranged in three groups within high raised barriers, or berms, designed to protect them from potential attacks or accidental blasts. The berms are connected by roads to nearby buildings, likely intended for missile servicing, indicating a large, fixed missile system for Russia.
