---
title: "Putin: Russian Military Has “Science Fiction” Laser Weapons"
description: "Russia's new laser weapons \"until just recently only figured in science fiction,\" Putin said during a meeting with top officials."
date: "2019-05-20"
modified: "2019-05-21"
authors:
  - name: "Jon Christian"
    job_title: "Executive Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jonc"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/putin-science-fiction-laser-weapons"
categories:
  - "Military"
  - "Science & Energy"
tags:
  - "laser weapons"
  - "Russia"
  - "the digest"
  - "vladimir putin"
---

# Putin: Russian Military Has “Science Fiction” Laser Weapons

![](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Putin.png>)
*\<em\>Image: Anton Veselov via Shutterstock\</em\>*

## Laser Focus

Russian President Vladimir Putin is singing the praises of the country's experimental laser weapons.

The armaments "until just recently only figured in science fiction," Putin said during a meeting with top officials, [according to the *Associated Press*](<https://apnews.com/ff03960c48a6440bacc1c2512a7c197a>). He added that the high-tech weapons "will determine the combat potential of the Russian army and navy for decades ahead."

## Diss Putin

Putin's claims likely aren't just braggadocio. World militaries, including the [United States](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/us-military-laser-weapon-100-kilowatt>), [United Kingdom](<https://futurism.com/uk-laser-weapon-dragonfire-energy-flywheel>), and [China,](<https://futurism.com/china-reveals-weaponized-portable-laser>) have made substantial investments in energy weapons in recent years — and even deployed functional laser cannons on [naval ships](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/us-military-giant-laser-cannon>) and [tanks](<https://futurism.com/military-mounting-laser-weapons-tanks>).

In other words, it's a nascent global arms race, and even though most countries say the weapons are primarily meant to [defend against drones](<https://futurism.com/military-mounting-laser-weapons-tanks>), it might only be a matter of time before they're used against soldiers in genuine international conflict.

**READ MORE:** [Putin hails new Russian laser weapons](<https://apnews.com/ff03960c48a6440bacc1c2512a7c197a>) \[*The Associated Press*\]

**More on laser weapons:** *[The US Military Is Buying a $130 Million Laser Weapon](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/us-military-laser-weapon-100-kilowatt>)*

## Author
I'm responsible for editing, assigning, and scouting at Futurism, as well as occasionally writing for the site. That work involves keeping an eye on a wide range of narratives and issues, but over the past few years I've become increasingly interested in how AI is shaping the future of media, the web, and information itself. My day-to-day often involves collaborating on reporting and commentary projects bylined by my colleagues, but I try to find time to do my own reporting as well; stories I've broken for Futurism have been cited by publications including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Wired, Ars Technica, New York Magazine, the Columbia Journalism Review, Bloomberg, and more. I grew up in Southern Vermont and attended Vanderbilt University. Prior to Futurism, I contributed to outlets including the Boston Globe, Vice, Wired, Slate, the Atlantic, the Outline, Ars Technica and more, and did stints in farming and food service. I currently live in Brooklyn, New York, and in my free time I enjoy pinball, word games, cycling, running, and music production.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/jonchristian.net>)