By Ben Kerrigan-

The RS-28 Sarmat thermonuclear-armed ballistic missile is expected to come into service in 2018.

Published for the first time since it was disclosed on Sunday, the missile has strangely been dubbed “Satan 2”, as it will replace the RS-36M, the 1970s-era weapon referred to by Nato as the Satan missile.

Russian media stated that the missile will weigh up to 10 tons with the capacity to carry up to 10 tonnes of nuclear cargo.

The lethal missile should not be seen as welcome news in today’s climate of heated politics and the international differences over the Syrian conflict. The missile is said to be able to deliver a blast some 2,000 times more powerful than the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. That makes for very disturbing reading. Russia has in past times expressed a  desire to be  at least be on parity with the missile capacity of the U.S or even greater. Every country arguably has the right to have the kind of missile capability that makes them safe, provided it does not become a reason to behave in a bullish way and contribute to the provocation of a world war, which appears to have been gathering pace lately. Only sensible and reasonable judgement by world leaders can prevent a disastrous all out war. Too often, egos and misjudgements are the failings of those who are supposed to be leaders, when they should be setting high standards for the world.

Russia reportedly tested a hypersonic warhead last April that is apparently intended for use on the Satan 2 missiles. The warhead is designed to be impossible to intercept because it does not move on a set trajectory. Russia has reportedly built 14 million bunkers in Russia for its citizens in the event if a nuclear war, and also ordered for Russian dissidents all over the world to return to its motherland and pull their children out of school. Those words are very worrying and has made many people believe that Russia is gearing up and preparing for a war, either with America, or a Nato country-one that could easily spiral into world war 3.

A frightening prospect for our modern world, the choice of ‘Satan’ for a name of a missile, sounds sinister. Why the UK, France, and Texas were named is also a big question mark. Russia may just be letting the world know how much power it has in terms of its nuclear capability, or Russia may be teling us in codes that they are prepared to wreak havoc when they are ready. Let’s hope for all our sakes that it is the former rather than the latter.