Defense Express reported the Russian statements and details of the test. According to Russian officials, President Putin observed the trials and called the system a “unique product that no one else in the world has,” ordering work to determine how to use the weapon and to prepare supporting infrastructure.Russian Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov provided the most specific test details. He said the trial — reportedly conducted on Tuesday, October 21 — produced a flight of about 15 hours and a distance of roughly 14,000 km, which equates to an average speed near 933 km/h. So far, independent confirmation of these claims is absent; the information comes from Russian officials and state outlets, as previously noted by Defense Express.The Burevestnik program is not new. Development began in December 2001 at the Novator design bureau and remained secret for many years; the missile was officially acknowledged only in March 2018 and later named “Burevestnik.” Western analysts estimate Moscow has run several dozen tests of the winged vehicle, with only “one or two” believed to have been successful.The missile’s most unusual feature is its small nuclear reactor that — according to available descriptions — heats intake air to very high temperatures, producing jet thrust. A conventional solid‑fuel booster is used for launch. Little else about its technical specifications is public: the fuselage is said to be roughly 12 meters long (about 9 meters after booster separation), with an elliptical cross section roughly 1.5 meters wide. Speed estimates in various media have ranged from 850 to 1,300 km/h, and most sources describe the system as subsonic.Burevestnik’s secrecy and the claims around it fuel dramatic warnings from Russian propaganda — for example, calling it a missile with “unlimited range.” That label is intended to underscore its global reach; in practical terms analysts call it an intercontinental cruise missile with long range. The Russians even claim the missile can remain airborne “virtually indefinitely” — “several months,” they say — enabling surprise attacks. While prolonged loitering would complicate defense, a vehicle staying aloft for long periods could, in principle, be intercepted by fighter aircraft.The program has also been linked to serious setbacks. The August 8, 2019 accident at a test range in Arkhangelsk — which killed five Russian test specialists and briefly raised radiation readings some 30 km from the site — is commonly associated with Burevestnik trials and the risks of a nuclear‑powered propulsion test.Despite frequent announcements, the 9M730 is not yet in Russian service. Current public estimates suggest operational deployment could still be a few years away — sometimes reported as around 2027.Defense Express reported these Russian claims and context, and earlier covered a related episode in which the U.S. tested its own concept for a nuclear‑powered cruise vehicle — often compared in commentary to the Soviet‑era and modern Russian programs — noting how that effort concluded.Russian leader Vladimir Putin announced the completion of tests for the Burevestnik nuclear missile, which is reportedly capable of covering a distance of 14,000 km.According to military observer Ivan Tymochko, Russia is using its intercontinental missile launches primarily for propaganda, as only two of the 13 attempts have been successful.