VLADIMIR PUTIN
Vladimir Putin delivers his state of the nation address and says Russia has a new arsenal of invincible nuclear weapons.
RUSSIA has boasted that it has developed an arsenal of invincible nuclear weapons that are immune to enemy detection.
Vladimir Putin used his state of the nation speech this week to warn of his country’s resurgent military might, saying Russia was not listened to before, and declaring: ‘Listen to us now.’
The Russian president said his deadly weaponry included a nuclear-powered cruise missile that could reach anywhere in the world and an underwater drone with nuclear weapons that can obliterate an aircraft carrier.
Mr Putin also revealed details of an ‘invulnerable’ hypersonic missile and insisted it was not a bluff as he showed chilling test footage of the new kit. ‘No one else in the world has anything like that,’ he said.
He warned that any attempt to use nuclear weapons against Russia and its allies would bring instant retaliation. But Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson accused him of choosing a path of ‘escalation and provocation’ and added: ‘We are facing intensifying threats to our way of life and this development is another reminder to not let down our guard.’
Mr Putin made his hot-blooded claims as he laid out his key policies for another term in office, ahead of an election he is expected to win in 15 days.
The 65-year old president, who has led Russia for almost two decades, usually delivers the annual speech in the Kremlin but this year delivered his address from a nearby exhibition centre. This allowed him to show a series of slick video montages of missiles manoeuvring across mountains and oceans and heading over the Atlantic.
He quoted a 2004 speech in which he vowed Russia would develop a new generation of weaponry. ‘No one wanted to talk to us,’ Mr Putin said. ‘No one listened to us then. Listen to us now.’ It brought a standing ovation from the audience of lawmakers and celebrities.
He presented Russia’s military efforts as a response to recent actions by the US which last month unveiled plans to revamp its nuclear arsenal and develop new low-yield atomic weapons.
In a speech that ran to almost two hours, Mr Putin described several different capabilities which he said would render NATO defences completely useless.
One new weapon, called Avangard, is an intercontinental hypersonic missile that would fly at 20 times the speed of sound and strike its targets ‘like a meteorite, like a fireball’, he said.
The weapon is capable of performing sharp manoeuvres on its way to targets, making it ‘absolutely invulnerable for any missile defence system,’ Mr Putin added.
He said neither the nuclear-powered cruise missile nor the underwater drone had names yet, suggesting with dark humour that a public competition be held for ideas.
He also said that another new weapons system, called Kinzhal, is already operational and is a hypersonic missile carried by an aircraft that flies at ten times the speed of sound with a range of 1,250 miles.
Defence minister Sergei Shoigu later said Russian arms would be able to ‘overcome all existing anti-missile systems’ such as those the US intends to deploy in eastern Europe and South Korea.
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