The Russian military’s test-launch of a 200-ton intercontinental ballistic missile Wednesday was seen as a domestic distraction from the faltering campaign to crush Ukraine and a fresh taunt to NATO, but the West seemed to be taking Vladimir Putin’s latest nuclear saber-rattling in stride. 

The new missile, called the Sarmat, was quickly dubbed the “Satan II” by many in the West and while its destructive capabilities are not in question, its provenance does appear to be Russian and not from the strongman of hell. The Russian name derives from the Sarmatians, who like the Scythians were part of the Iranian steppe peoples in classical antiquity. 

Among the regions occupied by the ancient Scythians was modern-day eastern Ukraine, where Moscow’s ground offensive is by most accounts now in full swing.

The timing was not lost on Mr. Putin.

“This truly unique weapon will strengthen the combat potential of our armed forces, reliably ensure Russia’s security from external threats and provide food for thought for those who, in the heat of frenzied aggressive rhetoric, try to threaten our country,” he said on Russian television. 

The test missile was launched from Plesetsk in northwest Russia and hit mock targets in the Kamchatka peninsula in the sprawling country’s far east.

Russia’s defense ministry said the launch was fully successful, proving the missile’s characteristics “in all phases of its flight.” The Kremlin claims the Sarmat missile is capable of firing up to 15 independently targeted nuclear warheads in a single strike. According to the U.S. Congressional Research Service, it can be deployed with 10 or more warheads on each missile. The Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies says its range is 11,185 miles — enough to reach America.

The Pentagon press secretary, John Kirby, said that in line with the New Start nuclear arms control treaty between Moscow and Washington, Russia had given America advance notice of the launch.

The test launch of the Sarmat missile comes amid soaring tensions between Moscow and the West over the ongoing Russian military action in Ukraine and underscores both the Kremlin’s emphasis on the country’s nuclear forces and the apparent ease with which it brandishes threatening rhetoric whenever that suits its agenda.

According to a new report from the American Federation of Scientists, a nonprofit policy research and advocacy organization that tracks global nuclear arsenals, approximately 90 percent of all nuclear warheads are owned by two powers. The “Status of the World’s Nuclear Forces” report says that in 2022, Russia and America respectively possess 5,428 and 5,977 nuclear warheads, out of 13,000 units in the world.

“Globally, the overall inventory of nuclear weapons is declining, but the pace of reductions is slowing compared with the past 30 years. Moreover, these reductions are happening only because the United States and Russia are still dismantling previously retired warheads,” the report said.

“The United States is still reducing its nuclear stockpile slowly. But China, India, North Korea, Pakistan and the United Kingdom, as well as possibly Russia, are all thought to be increasing their stockpiles,” it added.

Despite the Russian media fanfare surrounding the “Satan II”s fiery flight from one end of the Russian hinterland to another, does everyone share the view that it is really a game-changer? “Such testing is routine, and it was not a surprise. It was not deemed to be a threat to the United States or its allies,” Mr. Kirby said.

Analysts say that once fully operational, the Sarmat will serve as a replacement for Soviet-era Voevoda ICBMs, known by the NATO designation SS-18 Satan.