RUSSIA has conducted a series of high powered missile tests from three submarines off its east coast as the North Korean crisis threatens to escalate.
Vladimir Putin is in the midst of strengthening his military arsenal and risked angering the rogue state by launching missiles landing just off North Korea.
In a show of force, three submarines capable of carrying nuclear warheads fired cruise missiles which hit the Okhotsk sea, north of Japan and near the hermit state.
The Russian government said that it had also launched rockets from a further three bombers that hit ground targets.
The tests come after North Korea launched its sixth, and by far largest nuclear test, moving closer to its goal of mounting a nuclear warhead on an intercontinental ballistic missile.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said earlier this month that, while, Moscow condemned North Korea's nuclear tests, the crisis around the Korean peninsula should be resolved through dialogue.
Mr Putin said: “We condemn the nuclear tests carried out by North Korea.
“But it is absolutely necessary to resolve this problem through dialogue and not drive North Korea into a corner, threatening it with the use of force, and not to fall into outright insolence."
However, just weeks after Mr Putin spoke of using "dialogue” he has released details of Russia’s new, deadly, missile dubbed Satan 2.
The thermonuclear-armed ballistic missile is officially called RS-28 Sarmat and was launched from the Plestek Cosmodrome and travelled 3,600 miles before landing on the Kura test range.
This missile was commissioned in 2011 and is expected to be in circulation by 2018.
The Russian military claims it is so powerful that it could wipe out a whole country and “beat any defences”.
Satan 2 would be capable of delivering warheads of 40 megatons, which is 2,000 times as powerful as the atom bombs dropped on Hiroshima in 1945.
A Russian military spokesman said: “Russian military forces “have carried out an exercise to manage its strategic nuclear forces. All objectives of the training have been successfully completed.”
Russia unleashed even more power during the tests by using strategic bombers Tu-160, Tu-95MC and Tu-22M3 which also took off from several Russian air bases.
The international community, including the US and South Korea, have carried out a series of tests near North Korea to display military might to Kim, who they fear, could spark nuclear war.
Earlier this month, North Korean officials told Russian MPs that it had a nuclear missile capable of reaching US territory.
Anton Morozov, a member of the Russian Duma's international affairs committee, and two other Russian lawmakers visited Pyongyang on October 2 to 6.
Mr Morozov said: "They are preparing for new tests of a long-range missile. They even gave us mathematical calculations that they believe prove that their missile can hit the west coast of the United States.
"As far as we understand, they intend to launch one more long-range missile in the near future. And in general, their mood is rather belligerent."