VLADIMIR Putin says Russia has developed an “unstoppable” nuclear cruise missile which cannot be intercepted by any antimissile system on earth.
The newly developed intercontinental ballistic rocket with “unlimited range” was one of several unveiled by the Russian leader in his state of the nation address in Moscow.
They include a nuclear-powered cruise missile, a nuclear-powered underwater drone and new hypersonic missile which apparently have no equivalent.
Footage shown during his speech apparently showed the new “unstoppable” missile heading toward the United States as he promises to “neutralise” America’s missile defence.
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READ NOW“Russia remained a nuclear power but no one wanted to listen to us,” Mr Putin, 65, told politicians.
“No one has listened to us,” he said. “You listen to us now.”
He said the hypersonic intercontinental rocket, known as the Avangard, is capable of travelling 20 times the speed of sound and strike “like a meteorite, like a fireball”.
“It’s like a fireball guided to its target,” said Mr Putin, who also announced Russia was working on laser weapons systems.
The Russian leader, who has been in power since May 2012, said the missile’s appearance is being kept under wraps.
Mr Putin also announced a web contest to name a new, high-speed underwater drone which carries nuclear warheads and can destroy aircraft carriers and coastal facilities.
The Russian military has dubbed the shadowy vessels autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), allegedly capable of deploying missiles with a power of 100-megatons.
Mr Putin said the new weapons make NATO’s US-led missile defence “useless”, effectively ending Western efforts to “contain” Russia.
“I want to tell all those who have fuelled the arms race over the last 15 years, sought to win unilateral advantages over Russia, introduced unlawful sanctions. All you wanted to impede with your policies have already happened ... You have failed to contain Russia.”
Mr Putin sensationally vowed to wage nuclear war on the United States if they attacked Russia, branding Donald Trump’s new nuclear doctrine “worrying”.
The Kremlin strongman said that if Russia was attacked with nukes then he would not hesitate to launch his nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles, RT reported.
The country successfully launched its massive Satan Two nuclear missile, a 100-tonne rocket capable of wiping out the UK, in October.
The colossal weapon which can carry 12 warheads at once travelled 58000 kilometres towards a ballistic missile test landing site in far-east Russia.
The missile, also known as RS-28 Sarmat, has a range of 9600 kilometres and was fired on Thursday night from Plestek Cosmodrome in Oblast, 880km north of Moscow.
The rocket is “capable of wiping out parts of the Earth the size of France or Texas”.
On that basis it has been reported that the weapon could “wipe out an area the size of England and Wales twice over”.
The Russian ministry said they had “carried out an exercise to manage its strategic nuclear forces.”
Mr Putin today claimed Moscow’s operation in Syria showed Russia’s increased capabilities in the defence sector.
Mr Putin told politicians the nation had restored its domestic air defence systems.
The strongman also vowed to cut the “unacceptable” poverty rate in half over the next six years, in his state of the nation address.
“[We should] at least halve the poverty rate in the next six years,” Mr Putin said, adding that 20 million Russians currently live below the poverty line compared to 42 million in 2000.
The Russian leader used the address to outline policy for a widely anticipated new six-year term in the Kremlin following March 18 presidential elections.
Putin, who has led the country for the last 18 years, focused on domestic issues in the speech, saying that the coming years will be “decisive” for Russia.