Putin Unveils Poseidon: Tidal Wave Torpedo Warns of Nuclear Armageddon

Russia stunned the world by claiming a successful test of Poseidon, a nuclear-powered, nuclear-armed underwater drone-torpedo described by the Kremlin as an 'unstoppable' new weapon capable of demolishing coastal cities. In a statement on Oct. 29, 2025, Vladimir Putin said the device had, for the first time, activated its nuclear propulsion system following a submarine launch. He asserted that the torpedo could travel distances and depths beyond existing defences, warning there was 'nothing like this, nothing able to intercept it'.

The revelation of this fact has impacted the different sectors of government, military analysts, and strategists all at once. The unveiling of Poseidon, as well as the extensive statements connected to it, represents a new level of underwater nuclear power. The situation with Russia, the West, and NATO is getting more and more tense and the underwater weapon's ability to change the naval balance is raising concerns.

What Poseidon Is and What Putin Claims It Can Do

Poseidon, known in NATO parlance as 'Kanyon', is described as a 20-metre-long, roughly two-metre-diameter unmanned underwater vehicle, weighing up to 100 tonnes, propelled by a compact nuclear reactor. Some sources claim that Poseidon is one of the 'super weapons' that was revealed by Russia before.

According to Russian government accounts, once launched from a specialised submarine, the drone can travel for thousands of kilometres, dive to depths of up to 1,000 metres, and approach enemy shores undetected. Its warhead is believed to be of multi-megaton yield, with many external analysts estimating around two megatons.

During the October 2025 announcement, Putin emphasised the weapon's strategic importance, calling the test a 'huge success' and saying that 'there is nothing like this in the world'. He said it represents a class of threats designed to bypass traditional missile defences and strike coastal infrastructure or major cities from below the seas.

Russian-supported media and analysts have even gone so far as to proclaim that Poseidon might cause enormous 'radioactive tsunamis' to annihilate whole coastlines. The dramatic imagery alongside such alerts has not only grabbed the headlines but also created a climate of fear on a mass scale.

Poseidon's Plausible Threat: The Scientific Debate

Western defence analysts and nuclear experts caution that while Poseidon's technical attributes are concerning, many of the more apocalyptic claims, such as 500-metre tsunami waves, lack a credible scientific basis. Underwater nuclear explosions, even at high yields, disperse energy radially rather than focus it directionally, limiting wave height and range.

Models suggest that a detonation near a coast could inflict catastrophic damage to ports, naval bases or low-lying districts and produce radioactive contamination. Yet the idea that a single explosion could produce a tsunami capable of submerging entire cities remains highly speculative.

More realistic assessments characterise Poseidon as a strategic deterrent, not a guaranteed 'doomsday weapon.' Its value may lie more in fear, uncertainty, and pressure, forcing adversaries to expand underwater detection and naval defence systems, than in actual deployment.

The conception of the weapon, which is a nuclear-powered, deep-sea diving automatic drone, causes it to be a challenge to the existing arms control regimes that have mainly centred on missiles and aircraft. Its ability to escape radar and missiles places a greater difficulty on defence strategies than before.

Moreover, Russia has reportedly begun building specialised submarine carriers intended to launch Poseidon drones. The entry into service of such platforms would signal a shift from conceptual threat to concrete capability.

The October 2025 test comes shortly after Russia demonstrated a separate nuclear-powered cruise missile, deepening concern that Moscow is investing heavily in a new generation of strategic delivery systems beyond traditional ballistic missiles.

For the entire global community of government officials and military strategists, Poseidon is a multifaceted contemporary problem: a missile system that probably wouldn't get used through firing, but its very presence could alter the balance of power, arms regulation, and the safeguarding of large urban coastal areas in favour of the naval side.