Putin says Russia's nuclear-armed underwater drone was tested successfully

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia has conducted a successful test of a new atomic-powered and nuclear-capable underwater drone, President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday, declaring that the new weapon can't be intercepted.

Putin's statement, which comes three days after he praised a successful test of a new nuclear-powered cruise missile, appears to be another message to U.S. President Donald Trump that Russia is standing firm in its maximalist demands on Ukraine.

Speaking at a meeting with soldiers wounded in Ukraine, Putin said the Poseidon drone was tested while running on nuclear power for the first time Tuesday, describing it as unmatched in speed and depth.

He said the nuclear reactor that powers Poseidon is “100 times smaller” than those on submarines, and the power of its nuclear warhead is “significantly higher than that of our most advanced Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile.”

Putin first mentioned the underwater nuclear-powered drone in his 2018 state-of-the-nation address along with other prospective weapons. Russian media reported that Poseidon was designed to explode near coastlines and unleash a powerful radioactive tsunami.

Putin said that during Tuesday's test, Poseidon traveled on nuclear power for the first time. He didn't say where the trials were conducted or give any other details.

“For the first time, we managed not only to launch it from its carrier submarine ... but also to activate its nuclear power unit, allowing the vehicle to operate for a certain period of time," Putin said. “In terms of speed and operating depth, there is nothing like this unmanned vehicle anywhere in the world, and it’s unlikely that anything similar will appear in the near future. And there is no way to intercept it."

Russian media reports said the Poseidon is designed to travel at a speed of up to 200 kph (124 mph) significantly faster than any existing torpedoes or warships.

With nuclear power giving it unlimited range, the drone’s speed and depth make it hard for an enemy to locate.

Putin also revealed new details about the Burevestnik cruise missile, saying its nuclear reactor is “1,000 times smaller” than one on a submarine, and starts in minutes, unlike a submarine reactor that takes hours to launch. He described the design of the miniature nuclear engine powering the missile as an engineering breakthrough and a “huge achievement.”

On Sunday, Russia’s chief military officer, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, reported to Putin that an Oct. 21 test of Burevestnik was a complete success.

The missile covered 14,000 kilometers (8,680 miles) during a 15-hour flight using nuclear fuel and conducted maneuvers “demonstrating its high capabilities in evading missile and air defense systems,” Gerasimov said.

The Burevestnik, which means “storm petrel” in Russian, is the world’s first nuclear-powered missile. That propulsion gives it virtually unlimited range, allowing it to loiter for days, circling enemy air defenses and attacking from an unexpected direction.

Putin has described the Burevestnik and the Poseidon as part of a Russian response to the U.S. missile shield that Washington has developed after its 2001 withdrawal from a Cold War-era U.S.-Soviet pact that limited missile defenses.

Russian military planners have feared a missile shield could tempt Washington to launch a first strike that would knock out most of Moscow’s nuclear arsenal in hopes of intercepting a small number of surviving missiles fired in retaliation. Putin and his officials cast the Burevestnik and the Poseidon as a guaranteed retaliation to a first strike.

Putin has brandished Russia’s nuclear might repeatedly since sending troops into Ukraine in February 2022, declaring that Moscow was prepared to use “all means” to protect its security interests. He again turned to nuclear messaging since Trump has put a planned Budapest summit with Putin on hold and declared his first major sanctions against Russia since returning to the White House.

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The Associated Press receives support for nuclear security coverage from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and Outrider Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Additional AP coverage of the nuclear landscape: https://apnews.com/projects/the-new-nuclear-landscape/

President Vladimir Putin, second left, talks servicemen, participants of a special military operation in Ukraine at the the Mandryk Central Military Clinical Hospital, in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025. (Vyacheslav Prokofyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

President Vladimir Putin holds the Russian Orthodox the icon of the Holy Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky as he meets with soldiers wounded in action in Ukraine at the the Mandryk Central Military Clinical Hospital, in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025. (Vyacheslav Prokofyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, talks with Russian servicemen who fought in Ukraine as he visits the Central Military Clinical Hospital, in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025. (Vladimir Gerdo, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, talks with Russian servicemen who fought in Ukraine and Pavel Krainyukov, right, head of the Mandryk Central Military Clinical Hospital, in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025. (Vladimir Gerdo, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

President Vladimir Putin holds Russian Orthodox icons as he meets with soldiers wounded in action in Ukraine, at the the Mandryk Central Military Clinical Hospital, in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025. (Vyacheslav Prokofyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A federal officer shot a person in the leg in Minneapolis after being attacked with a shovel and broom handle while trying to make an arrest Wednesday, federal officials said.

The shooting took place about 4.5 miles (7.2 kilometers) north of where an immigration agent fatally shot Renee Good on Jan. 7.

The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement on the social media platform X that federal law enforcement officers stopped a person from Venezuela who was in the U.S. illegally. The person drove away and crashed into a parked car before taking off on foot, DHS said.

After officers reached the person, two other people arrived from a nearby apartment and all three started attacking the officer, according to DHS.

“Fearing for his life and safety as he was being ambushed by three individuals, the officer fired a defensive shot to defend his life,” DHS said.

The two people who came out of the apartment are in custody, it said.

A large group of officers wearing gas masks fired tear gas into a crowd gathered at a north Minneapolis intersection near where Wednesday's shooting took place.

Earlier Wednesday, a judge gave the Trump administration time to respond to a request to suspend its immigration crackdown in Minnesota, while the Pentagon looked for military lawyers to join what has become a chaotic law enforcement effort in the state.

Plumes of tear gas, bursts of chemical irritants and the screech of protest whistles have become common on the streets of Minneapolis, especially since Good's shooting.

Agents have yanked people from cars and homes and been confronted by angry bystanders who are demanding that officers pack up and leave.

“What we need most of all right now is a pause. The temperature needs to be lowered," state Assistant Attorney General Brian Carter said during the first hearing in a lawsuit filed by Minnesota and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Local leaders say the government is violating free speech and other constitutional rights with the surge of law enforcement. U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez promised to keep the case “on the front burner” and gave the U.S. Justice Department until Monday to file a response to a request for a restraining order.

The judge said these are "grave and important matters,” and that there are few legal precedents to apply to some of the key points in the case.

Justice Department attorney Andrew Warden suggested the approach set by Menendez was appropriate.

The judge is also handling a separate lawsuit challenging the tactics used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal officers when they encounter protesters and observers. A decision could be released this week.

During a televised speech Wednesday evening, Gov. Tim Walz described Minnesota as being in chaos, saying what's happening in the state “defies belief.”

“Let’s be very, very clear, this long ago stopped being a matter of immigration enforcement," he said. "Instead, it’s a campaign of organized brutality against the people of Minnesota by our own federal government.”

Walz added that “accountability” will be coming through the courts.

The Department of Homeland Security says it has made more than 2,000 arrests in the state since early December and is vowing to not back down. The Pentagon is preparing to send military lawyers to Minneapolis to assist.

CNN, citing an email circulating in the military, says Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is asking the branches to identify 40 lawyers known as judge advocate general officers or JAGs, and 25 of them will serve as special assistant U.S. attorneys in Minneapolis.

Pentagon spokesperson Kingsley Wilson appeared to confirm the CNN report by posting it on X with a comment that the military “is proud to support” the Justice Department.

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to emails from The Associated Press seeking more details.

It’s the latest step by the Trump administration to dispatch military and civilian attorneys to areas where federal immigration operations are taking place. The Pentagon last week sent 20 lawyers to Memphis, U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said.

Mark Nevitt, an associate professor at Emory University School of Law and a former Navy JAG, said there's concern that the assignments are taking lawyers away from the military justice system.

“There are not many JAGs but there are over one million members of the military, and they all need legal support,” he said.

Jonathan Ross, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who killed Good, suffered internal bleeding to his torso during the encounter, a Homeland Security official told The Associated Press.

The official spoke to AP on condition of anonymity in order to discuss Ross’ medical condition. The official did not provide details about the severity of the injuries, and the agency did not respond to questions about the extent of the bleeding, exactly how he suffered the injury, when it was diagnosed or his medical treatment.

There are many causes of internal bleeding, and they vary in severity from bruising to significant blood loss. Video from the scene showed Ross and other officers walking without obvious difficulty after Good was shot and her Honda Pilot crashed into other vehicles.

She was killed after three ICE officers surrounded her SUV on a snowy street a few blocks from her home.

Bystander video shows one officer ordering Good to open the door and grabbing the handle. As the vehicle begins to move forward, Ross, standing in front, raises his weapon and fires at least three shots at close range. He steps back as the SUV advances and turns.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has said Ross was struck by the vehicle and that Good was using her SUV as a weapon — a self-defense claim that has been deeply criticized by Minnesota officials.

Chris Madel, an attorney for Ross, declined to comment on any injuries.

Good’s family, meanwhile, has hired a law firm, Romanucci & Blandin, that represented George Floyd’s family in a $27 million settlement with Minneapolis. Floyd, who was Black, died after a white police officer pinned his neck to the ground in the street in May 2020.

The firm said Good was following orders to move her car when she was shot. It said it would conduct its own investigation and publicly share what it learns.

“They do not want her used as a political pawn,” the firm said, referring to Good and her family, “but rather as an agent of peace for all.”

Waving signs reading “Love Melts ICE” and “DE-ICE MN,” hundreds of teenagers left school in St. Paul and marched in freezing temperatures to the state Capitol for a protest and rally.

The University of Minnesota, meanwhile, informed its 50,000-plus students that there could be online options for some classes when the new term starts next week. President Rebecca Cunningham noted that “violence and protests have come to our doorstep.” The campus sits next to the main Somali neighborhood in Minneapolis.

Associated Press reporters Julie Watson in San Diego, California; Rebecca Santana in Washington, D.C.; Ed White in Detroit; Giovanna Dell’Orto in Minneapolis; Graham Lee Brewer in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed.

Federal immigration officers at the scene of a reported shooting Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

A woman confronts a federal immigration officer at the scene of a reported shooting Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

People react after a firework was set off near the scene of a reported shooting Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Federal immigration officers shoot pepper balls as tear gas is deployed at the scene of a reported shooting Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Law enforcement officers stand amid tear gas at the scene of a reported shooting Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

Federal immigration officers are seen Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Hundreds of protesters gather in front of the Minnesota State Capitol in response to the death of Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer last week, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Protesters gather in front of the Minnesota State Capitol in response to the death of Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer last week, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Protesters gather in front of the Minnesota State Capitol in response to the death of Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer last week, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Federal officers stand guard after detaining people outside of Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

People visits a makeshift memorial for Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer last week, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

A person is detained by federal agents near the scene where Renee Good was fatally shot by an ICE officer last week, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)