What's The Poseidon? Super Weapon in Russian TV Propaganda Is No Joke

Russian state TV presenter Dmitry Kiselyov triggered a controversy last week when he threatened Kremlin could turn the U.K. into "a radioactive desert" for decades through the superweapon Poseidon.

Kiselyov's remark that Russia can "plunge Britain into the depths of the sea using unmanned underwater vehicle Poseidon" was accompanied by terrifying graphics that simulated the same. While the segment aired on Russia-1 was deemed warmongering by the West, Poseidon is not a weapon that can be taken lightly.

According to defense analysts H I Sutton, Poseidon is to be taken very seriously. "But this video should not. It contains errors and repeats unsubstantiated claims and hyperbole," he posted on his blog, Covert Shores.

Sutton claims that the TV show got the details of the torpedo, and its host submarine, incorrect. "These show that the computer-generated segment does not come from an informed source. It appears created by the TV's staff to support the monologue, using hastily gathered source material," he added.

But, the fact remains that the Poseidon has the potential to "shape the defense needs of the U.K. and NATO allies." "It threatens to devastate coastal cities, and is a threat to the whole of the U.K. It will be very difficult to counter and require new weapons to intercept it," Sutton added.

According to the defense analyst, this monster torpedo is unique and will become one of Russia’s most feared weapons. The Poseidon is an 80-foot-long nuclear-powered submersible robot that can reportedly travel autonomously across thousands of miles, detonate outside an enemy coastal city, and destroy it by generating a tsunami. Despite being slower than an intercontinental ballistic missile, what makes Poseidon unique is that it is unstoppable.

Kremlin maintains that Poseidon can be used as a tactical nuclear weapon against warships and aircraft carriers. Not only does the nuclear reactor gives it an unlimited range, but it also gifts it new levels of operational flexibility in terms of launch and target locations. Although it is restricted to at-sea or coastal targets, it can be launched from under the protection of the ice cap, or from coastal waters, the report on Naval News added.

That said, the weapon has not been deployed yet as the system is not ready yet. "It could be speculated that Russia could attempt a launch if desperate enough. But, it is currently nowhere near the threat level of traditional submarine-launched missiles," Sutton said in the article.