[ATimes] Reports of higher radiation levels in northern Europe preceded Putin’s recent claim regarding new weapon in speech.Atmospheric traces of radioactive iodine discovered at several locations in northern Europe earlier this year are lending credence to US reports that a Russian nuclear-powered cruise missile crashed in the Arctic during testing.
ABC and Fox News quoted an unnamed US official on Friday as saying the missile, still in R&D, had crashed during a test in the Arctic at an unspecified date and site, although some experts question if the test really failed. In an annual state-of-the-union address in Moscow, on March 1, Russian President Vladimir Putin said a nuclear-powered cruise missile had been successfully tested in late 2017.