You're bluffing, Putin?

According to analysts speaking to the Kyiv Independent, given that Russian military efforts in Ukraine have largely stalled while international support for Kyiv continues, experts say the primary goal of these announcements is mainly political.

"Putin's recent unveiling of these weapons systems is a cognitive warfare effort," said Georges Barros from the Institute for the Study of War to the Kyiv Independent.

"It is designed to provoke emotional reactions, primarily fear—to shape decision-making in Western countries regarding Russia and Ukraine and to create intellectual precedents that the Russians can later exploit," he added.

The Kyiv Independent notes that the two powerful systems, Poseidon and Burevestnik, returned to the spotlight during an official Kremlin ceremony on November 4, when Putin rewarded the scientists behind both projects and declared, "All our plans are being fulfilled," announcing readiness to deploy the weapons.

Both Burevestnik and Poseidon are nuclear-powered and are not intended for use on the battlefield, but rather as instruments of nuclear deterrence. Both promise unlimited range and are designed to bypass Western missile defenses.

However, Western defense analysts note that there is little independently verified information on the actual operational status of either weapon. Most of what is known comes from Russian political messaging.

According to Pavel Podvig, a Geneva-based nuclear weapons expert and director of the Russian Nuclear Forces Research Project, the Burevestnik functions like a conventional cruise missile, but with one key difference: it is reportedly powered by a miniature nuclear reactor.

This supposedly allows it to fly low and slow for thousands of kilometers, avoiding radar and missile defense systems. Moscow has claimed that the missile traveled 14,000 kilometers (8,699 miles) over 15 hours.

Theoretically, it could remain airborne for hours, circling the globe. But Podvig is skeptical about its practicality.

"Cruise missiles can be intercepted. If they are subsonic and fly for 10 or 15 hours, you have time to detect them," he said in a recent interview with the Kyiv Independent.

Although technically unique, Podvig argues that the military value of such a system is limited, which may explain why no other country has attempted something similar.

Poseidon, on the other hand, operates underwater. It is a nuclear-powered autonomous drone, designed to be launched from submarines like the Belgorod, part of Russia's secret naval division.

"Essentially, it is a long-range underwater drone. It can travel at high speeds—around 100 km/h (62 mph)—and deliver a nuclear payload near coastal targets, potentially triggering a tsunami or radioactive contamination," said Dmitry Gorenburg from the nonprofit research group Center for Naval Analyses (CNA) to the Kyiv Independent.

But like Burevestnik, Poseidon’s actual capabilities remain unclear. Gorenburg notes that while it may be harder to detect than crewed submarines, it is not undetectable.

"It is subject to the same limitations as other underwater systems. It is neither silent nor invisible," he said.

What unites the two systems—and what makes them controversial—is that they are largely politicized, ambitious, and militarily questionable. Both experts agree that they exist primarily as political messages.

"These weapons were introduced to show that Russia can still retaliate," said Podvig.

According to experts, the primary value of these weapons now lies in pressuring the West to reconsider its support for Ukraine by instilling fears of escalation.

"Russia’s warfighting capacity is limited. It is not capable of winning the war in Ukraine, assuming the international coalition supporting Ukraine remains strong. Therefore, Putin relies on us stepping back from our supportive role out of concern for escalation, risks, and nuclear fears," said Georges Barros.