Russia Testsโ zircon Hypersonic Missile Amidstโค Major Militaryโ Drills Near NATO Border
Barents Sea – Russia has successfully launched a Zirconโ hypersonic cruise missile from a โvessel in the Barents Sea, the russian Ministry of Defense announced โSunday. The missile reportedly โคhit a designated target with a direct strike during the ongoing “Zapad-2025” military exercise.
“According to objective โฃobservation data โคobtained in real-time, the targetโ was destroyed by a direct hit,” โฃthe Ministryโ stated, as reported by reuters.
The โ3M22 Circon missile is designed for both ship and submarine launches, capable of striking both surface vessels and land targets. Russian officials claim the โคweapon can reach speeds of up to eight timesโค the speed of sound andโฃ has a range extending up โto 1,000 kilometers, dependingโค on its flight path.โ Its extreme speed and maneuverability make it exceptionally difficult to โขintercept.
(See map โof the Barents Sea โhere)
Escalating Tensions & Nuclear Exercise
Thisโข presentation of advancedโฃ weaponry comes as Russia conductsโข large-scale joint military exercises withโค Belarus, dubbed “Zapad-2025,” along NATO’s eastern flank. Theseโ drills, whichโ began on September 12th, โฃincludeโ simulated deployment of nuclearโฃ weapons, raising concerns among international leaders about potential escalation.
The โexercises follow a recentโข incident where 19 Russian โคdrones โฃwere detected in Polish airspace, prompting poland โคand Latvia to temporarily close their borders and erect border fortifications.
While officially involving 7,000-8,000 troops, Lithuanian โฃintelligence estimates the total number of personnel participating in “Zapad-2025” could reach 30,000, with 8,000 stationed in Belarus. โค Theโ drills are taking place across various training grounds in both Russia andโ Belarus, asโ well as in the Baltic and โขBarents Seas.
The Russian Ministry of Defense โคstates the exercises aim to practice joint command and โคcontrol of forces in the event of aggressionโฃ againstโข the Russia-Belarus union โstate, and to test โjoint actions