MOSCOW — Russia has successfully tested its latest intercontinentalballistic missile, the country’s military said Friday.

The Defense Ministry said the launch from Plesetsk in northwestern Russiatested the Sarmat missile’s performance in the initial stage of its flight.

Sarmat is intended to replace the Soviet-designed Voyevoda, the world’sheaviest ICBM that is known as “Satan” in the West.

Presenting Sarmat and an array of other nuclear weapons earlier this month,President Vladimir Putin said that they can’t be intercepted.

Putin said that Sarmat weighs 200 metric tons and has a higher range thanSatan, allowing it to fly over the North or the South Poles and striketargets anywhere in the world. He added that Sarmat also carries a biggernumber of nuclear warheads, which are more powerful than the ones on Satan.

The Russian president also said the new ICBM accelerates faster than itspredecessor, making it harder for the enemy to intercept in its mostvulnerable phase after the launch. He also said Sarmat could carry an arrayof warheads capable of dodging missile defenses. – Agencies