Russia to equip new submarines with hypersonic zircon missiles

Russia plans to equip its new nuclear submarines with hypersonic zircon missiles, chief of the country's largest shipbuilder has announced, adding that it will deliver five more ships to the Russian navy by the year's end.

"Multi-purpose nuclear submarines of the Yasen-M project will be equipped with the Zircon missile system on a regular basis," Chief Executive Officer of Russia's United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) Alexei Rakhmanov declared on Monday.

Russian Navy will also receive at least five more ships by the end of the year, Rakhmanov further noted as cited in report by Sputnik News.

"This year, we have already commissioned three new ships and repaired one. By the end of the year, we expect to transfer at least five more ships," he added as quoted in the report.

The development comes amid the raging conflict between the Western-backed Ukraine and Russia and as Kiev has increasingly resorted to the use of the globally-banned cluster bombs as well as armed drones to strike Russian cities and naval facilities following major battlefield losses and defeats.. 

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova lashed out on Sunday at Ukraine’s “terrorist attack” on Crimean Bridge, insisting that the “barbaric action” has put the lives of innocent civilians at risk, and vowed retaliation.

“Such acts of sabotage provide the international community with a change to see for themselves the true colors of the Kiev regime. Such barbaric actions cannot be justified, and they will not remain without a response,” she said in a statement posted on the Telegram messaging app.

“There can be no justification for such barbaric actions and they will not go unanswered,” she added.

Earlier Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov had also blasted Washington for its “shameless” and “outrageous” support of Ukraine’s “proper” use cluster munitions, noting that the bombs have already killed a Russian journalist.

In a statement posted on Telegram, Antonov slammed Pentagon Press Secretary Pat Ryder on Thursday for his remarks claiming that the US has “all indications” that Ukraine is “properly” employing cluster munitions.

ME