Putin unveils ‘invincible’ nuke weapons

Moscow : Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday unveiled an array of new nuclear weapons, in one of his most bellicose speeches in years, saying they could hit almost any point in the world and evade a U.S.-built missile shield. Putin was speaking ahead of an election on March 18. He said a nuclear attack on any of Moscow’s allies would be regarded as an attack on Russia itself and draw an immediate response.

It was unclear if he had a particular Russian ally, such as Syria, in mind, but his comments looked like a warning to Washington not to use tactical battlefield nuclear weapons. Putin has often used militaristic rhetoric to mobilise support and buttress his narrative that Russia is under siege from the West. His 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea boosted his ratings to a record high and he has cast his military intervention in Syria as a proud moment for Moscow. Yesterday, he backed his rhetoric with video clips of some of the new missiles which were projected onto a giant screen at the conference hall in central Moscow. 

“They have not succeeded in holding Russia back,” said Putin, referring to the West, which he said had ignored Moscow in the past, but would now have to sit up and listen. 

“Now they need to take account of a new reality and understand that everything I have said today is not a bluff.” Among the new weapons that Putin said were either in development or ready: a new intercontinental ballistic missile “with a practically unlimited range” able to attack via the North and South Poles and bypass any missile defence systems.