Vladimir Putin has shown off
Russia’s latest military technology as he continues to mock the West in the aftermath of the
Salisbury nerve agent attack, it has been revealed.
The Russian leader has unveiled a new air defence missile said to be capable of stopping nuclear weapons from striking
Moscow.
The latest boast comes just days after Putin launched his fearsome ‘Satan’ rocket that can travel at 20 times the speed of sound and carry 12 nuclear warheads up to 6,000 miles.
Major General Andrei Prikhodko said: “A new modernised air defence interceptor missile has successfully accomplished its task hitting a hypothetical target at the stated time.”
Russia have been eager to prove their military might in the aftermath of the Salisbury incident.
Ex-spy Sergei Skripal was poisoned in the UK last month with the Kremlin blamed for the incident.
In a sign of unity with Britain, countries across the West have expelled dozens of Russian diplomats.
The UK expelled 23 Russian diplomats in the wake of the incident with the US, Germany, France and Canada among those also taking action.
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow would retaliate by expelling the same number of diplomats that each country had ejected.
However, now Putin is also hitting back by reminding the world of his country’s military strength.
The new defence missile was revealed in a video that shows the weapon being fired from the Sary Shagan range in Kazakhstan.
The rocket is said to already be operational.
Moscow have argued it will deter any nuclear attacks on Russia.
The new Satan missile was also shown off in a promotional video from the country’s Defence Ministry.
In the video, the missile emerges from an underground silo, pauses as if hovering above the ground, and then speeds away in a cloud of white smoke.
The launch was at the snow-covered Plesetsk spaceport in the northern Archangel province of Russia close to the Arctic Circle.
The new intercontinental ballistic missile was hailed by the Russian president as being able to fly over the North or South Poles and strike any target in the world.
During his state-of-the-nation speech last month Putin said: “No defence systems will be able to withstand it.”
Russia and the West are also at loggerheads over interference in the 2016 US presidential election, cyber attacks, hacking and the war in Syria.
However, in an attempt to ease tensions, Donald Trump has reportedly invited Putin to the White House.
A date for the expected meting is yet to be set.