The mobilization of the Russian submarine Belgorod and the risk that it could carry the nuclear weapon Poseidon have triggered alarms in the media and on social networks due to a possible attack, but the truth is that this torpedo, nicknamed “the weapon of the apocalypse” , it will not be operational until 2027.
This is indicated by various information and experts consulted by the EFE agency, who also argue that the recent movements of the Russian submarine could be conventional tests and not pose a threat to the West.
The circulation of messages and publications warning of the possibility that the Kremlin uses this new generation nuclear weapon was born following an article recently published by the Italian newspaper The Republic and quoted by various media, stating that the Alliance fears that the Belgorod has submerged Arctic seas for torpedo tests.
Other publications went further and suggested that the submarine was involved in the leaks from the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines.
NATO sees “no change in Russia’s nuclear position”
In fact, the article The Republic does not state that the Poseidon torpedo is ready for use by the Russian army and NATO sources consulted by EFE state that the Alliance “did not observe no change in Russia’s nuclear position“.
Indeed, information from the Italian newspaper indicated that NATO fears that Belgorod’s mission in the Arctic is to “test for the first time” this nuclear weapon, although a US Congressional Research Service (CRS) report has already been made public. in April he warned that the Kremlin had carried out tests with Poseidon since 2016, but the system “could not be implemented until 2027”.
Even the Russian public news agency TASS indicated on May 12, 2018 that the Poseidon system would not be included in the Russian “state weapons program” until 2027.
This agency, citing a weapons source, reported that the carrier of this warhead would be a “new nuclear submarine” which was under construction at a shipyard in the Russian city of Severodvinsk, where the Belgorod submarine was built.
On this issue, sources from the Atlantic Alliance assured EFE that this organization “has not observed any change in Russia’s nuclear position” and added that “NATO and the Allies remain vigilant” from.
“Belgorod submarine is not operational for combat”
Researcher Guillermo Pulido, international defense expert and editor of Ejércitos magazine, agrees the nuclear bullet is not ready and specifies that the Belgorod is not “fully operational for combat” either.
“The Poseidon is a very immature weapon and is only a concept for now”, while “the Belgorod is sea tests onlynot preparing to carry out an attack on NATO, “he says.
As for the submarine, this analyst points out that it may take years for it to be “ready for combat,” given that it was handed over to the Russian Navy last July.
Hundreds of kilometers from the Nord Stream gas pipelines
Contrary to what various publications suggest, images taken from the satellite They locate the submarine in the Barents Seain the Arctic Ocean, while attacks were underway against the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic, hundreds of kilometers away.
The specialized portal Naval News published two photographs showing the submarine on the surface and placing it north of Russia on 22 and 27 September.
Analyst HI Sutton, specialist in submarine and open source intelligence (OSINT), pointed out in this medium that the fact that the Belgorod was in the Barents Sea at the time made it “Impossible that it was in the Baltic at the time of the attacks.
Sutton also notes that its movements are broadly in line with what would be expected of a new submarine, although he does not rule out that the submarine’s movements are due to “a test launch of the Poseidon.”
Putin warns he will defend Russia “by all means”
The nuclear torpedo Poseidon, formerly known as “the weapon of the apocalypse”, should hit the target “at a distance of hundreds of kilometers” and completely leave the coastal strips “uninhabitable for decades” due to radioactive waves, according to the Russian news agency TASS.
The threat of a Russian nuclear attack became more evident after Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a speech delivered on September 21 before the advance of Ukrainian troops, let slip the possibility of using nuclear weapons in this war.
In his speech, he warned him he would have defended his country “by all means” at their disposal, which presumably includes nuclear power.
“Our country also has various means of destruction and, in some, more modern components than those of NATO countries,” he said.
By Jorge Ocaña and Beatriz Naya – Agencia EFE
Source: Clarin
