WASHINGTON — Two US researchers say they have identified the probable deployment site in Russia of the 9M370 Burevestnik, a new nuclear-powered, nuclear-armed cruise missile touted by President Vladimir Putin as "invincible."

Putin has said the weapon — dubbed the SSC-X-9 Skyfall by Nato — has an almost unlimited range and can evade US missile defences. But some Western experts dispute his claims and the Burevestnik's strategic value, saying it will not add capabilities that Moscow does not already have and risks a radiation-spewing mishap.

Using images taken on July 26 by Planet Labs, a commercial satellite firm, the two researchers identified a construction project abutting a nuclear warhead storage facility known by two names — Vologda-20 and Chebsara — as the new missile's potential deployment site. The facility is 295 miles (475 km) north of Moscow.

Reuters is the first to report this development.

Decker Eveleth, an analyst with the CNA research and analysis organisation, found the satellite imagery and identified what he assessed are nine horizontal launch pads under construction.

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