Arctic military buildup sparks fears Putin is preparing to test "Flying Chernobyl" weapon

Vladimir Putin is feared to be gearing up for a terrifying test of his perilous nuclear-powered “Flying Chernobyl” super weapon.

An influx of aircraft converging in the Arctic has sparked concerns the tyrant could fire the cruise missile which is fuelled by its own atomic reactor.

The Kremlin has long hailed the “invincible” Burevestnik missile which carries a nuclear warhead and reportedly boasts an “unlimited range”.

This means it could strike the UK should Putin ever decide to blitz the West, according to analysts.

Satellite images from across the past few weeks show Moscow’s high-powered aircraft descending on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago in the Arctic.

The region has already hosted tests for the Burevestnik and was previously used by the Soviets as one of their main nuclear sites between 1955 and 1990.

This included the 1961 detonation of the largest nuclear weapon ever tested, the 50MT AN602 Tsar Bomba hydrogen bomb.

This week, two specialist Il-976 SKIP aircraft used to monitor missile trajectories and collect test data reportedly arrived at Rogachevo airbase.

Imagery from the archipelago already shows an A-50U airborne early-warning aircraft, four An-26 military transports, an An-74 and several helicopters at the base.

Civilian vessels previously involved in missile trials have also taken up positions in the Barents and Kara seas around the Pankovo test range.

The Kremlin, who have boasted about firing the Burevestnik before, are yet to confirm or deny the suspected test fears.

However, Norwegian defence analyst Thord Are Iversen says the satellite pictures are a tell-tale sign.

He says they follow the same pattern seen during previous tests of Putin’s experimental 9M730 cruise missile.

He told Russian outlet The Insider: “It now appears that everything is ready for actual Burevestnik flight testing.”

The missile has reportedly been tested up to 14 times before but had only been successful twice – in 2022 and 2025.

Last year, the supposedly successful missile launch saw the weapon travel 14,000km for 15 hours, top Russian general Valery Gerasimov said.

Gerasimov added: “During the flight, the missile performed all the prescribed vertical and horizontal manoeuvres, demonstrating its high capabilities for evading missile and air defence systems.”

The previous test in 2022 only lasted for two minutes.

The chilling Flying Chernobyl nickname comes from the 1986 Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant disaster which caused irreversible damage across the Soviet Union.

Experts fear any future tests or actual usage of the weapon could lead to a similar radioactive disaster due to its atomic-powered reactor.

Dubbed “Skyfall” by Nato, top US State Department official Thomas Countryman described it as a “uniquely stupid weapon system”.

It comes as Putin’s war in Ukraine continues to rage on.

In overnight strikes, Ukraine disabled the Afipsky Oil Refinery in Krasnodar region, setting it ablaze and adding to Putin’s woes over petrol shortages.

Moscow reacted by unleashing a barrage of deadly strikes.

Civilians were killed in Russian strikes on Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia.

More than a dozen were injured in strikes on Mena, in Chernihiv region, including four children.

Kyiv was also blitzed, with a multi-story residential building crumbling just hours after UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham left the capital.

Burnham made his first visit to Kyiv as Prime Minister yesterday to mark Ukraine’s Independence Day alongside President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The trip came just after the PM handed over crucial blueprints to help Ukraine build their own long-range Storm Shadow missiles.

Moscow responded by accusing Britain of “participating” in the war with Ukraine.

Experts told The Sun the move could provoke a raging Putin to target Britain’s defence chiefs.

Outlining how Putin could retaliate, Brit ex-Army commander Hamish de Bretton-Gordon warned that Russia’s secret service could set its sights on EU defence bosses – including those in the UK.