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On November 21, President Vladimir Putin said that the officers killed in a mysterious nuclear explosion in northwestern Russia this summer were develooping an “unparalleled” weapon.
This accident occurred at a naval missile test facility in Nyonoksa in northwestern Russia on August 8. A liquid propulsion system blast killed five people and and led to a brief radiation spike nearby. Then, Putin said that the accident occurred during testing of what he called promising new weapons systems.
“We’re talking about the most advanced and unparalleled technical ideas and solutions, about weapons designed to ensure Russia’s sovereignty and security for decades to come,” the Russian president told the victims’ relatives at a televised state awards ceremony in the Kremlin. Putin said that the scientists “were conducting the most complex, responsible and critically important work.”
“The very fact of possessing these unique technologies is the most important reliable guarantee of peace on the planet today.“
The Russian leader did not identify the weapons involved in the accident but said that Russia will continue improving them. However, experts and media outlets speculate that the explosion involved the Burevestnik nuclear-powered intercontinental cruise missile.
