Russia’s new unmanned weapon sparks concern: ‘Powerful enough to wipe out coastlines’

MOSCOW: Russia possesses several powerful weapons capable of causing massive destruction, and among them, the most notable is the Poseidon unmanned underwater vehicle. Poseidon has been developed as part of Russia’s nuclear defence strategy. First revealed in 2015, Poseidon has undergone several successful tests since 2018, including one earlier this month. The vehicle is 65 feet long and can travel at a speed of up to 115 miles per hour.

This means Poseidon can move faster than most modern warships. President Putin claims that Poseidon cannot be detected by any new radar systems. Apart from destroying enemy targets, Poseidon is capable of creating powerful tsunamis that can flood and devastate coastal areas with radioactive waves. It can travel up to 6,200 kilometres to strike enemy targets.

Experts say that Poseidon creates not just normal waves but radioactive waves when used in the sea, which could completely destroy or wipe out coastal cities. Its power is said to be ten times stronger than the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. With a warhead capacity of two megatons, it is roughly 100 times more powerful than a conventional bomb. The affected area could remain unusable for a very long time.

Poseidon was built by the Russian military as part of their plan to develop advanced weapons, including the Burevestnik nuclear missile. However, many experts believe that several of these weapons are mostly claims and may not be exactly as Russia describes.