Russia said it plans to deploy its newly tested Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missiles, capable of mounting nuclear strikes against the United States, by autumn.
The target stated by head of the Russian Roscosmos space agency Dmitry Rogozin is ambitious, as Russia reported its first test launch earlier this week and Western military experts say more will be needed before the missile can be deployed.
The Sarmat is capable of carrying ten or more nuclear warheads and decoys, and of striking targets thousands of miles away in the United States or Europe.
This week's test, after years of delays due to funding and technical issues, marks a show of strength by Russia at a time when the war in Ukraine has sent tensions with the US and its allies soaring to their highest levels since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis.
In an interview with Russian state TV, Mr Rogozin said the launch of the "super-weapon" was an historic event that would guarantee the security of Russia's children and grandchildren for the next 30-40 years.
He added that missiles would be deployed with a unit in the Krasnoyarsk region of Siberia, about 3,000km east of Moscow, placed at the same sites and in the same silos as the Soviet-era Voyevoda missiles that they are replacing, something that would save "colossal resources and time".
Western concern at the risk of nuclear war has increased since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February.
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"The prospect of nuclear conflict, once unthinkable, is now back within the realm of possibility," United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said last month.
Speaking about Russia's test launch of the new intercontinental ballistic missile, President Vladimir Putin said the weapon would make Moscow's enemies "stop and think".
The test of the Sarmat did not surprise the West, but came at a moment of extreme geopolitical tension.
