INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Russia's Defense minister Sergei Shoigu inspected a military factory producing the Sarmat intercontinental missile, saying it would soon be
ready for use, his ministry posted on Telegram Saturday.The Sarmat is capable of carrying multiple nuclear warheads and is among Russia's
next-generation missiles which Putin has described as "invincible."The Russian Defense Ministry posted footage of Shoigu and other military
officials being given a tour of the Kramash factory in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk.Shoigu said the long-range missile complex "will
become the basis of the ground-based grouping of Russia's strategic nuclear forces."The Sarmat missile will be "put on combat duty in the
near future," the ministry said in a statement.President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said Russia had almost completed work on the Sarmat,
after Moscow earlier this year announced it had successfully tested the missiles.Putin said the "truly unique weapon will strengthen the
It has increased defense spending by 68 percent for 2024.
