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   / Updated By Alastair Jamieson 
   
   Russia has a new array of nuclear-capable weapons including an intercontinental ballistic missile that renders defense systems “useless,” President Vladimir Putin announced Thursday. 
   
   The ICBM has a longer range than any other and can reach almost any target in the world, Putin said in his annual address to lawmakers and political elites. 
   
   Other new technologies he highlighted included supersonic missiles and drone submarines that he said cannot be stopped. 
   
   Putin's marathon speech came 17 days before a presidential election in which he is seeking an unprecedented fourth term in power. It was accompanied by video footage showing some of the new weaponry in action as well as simulations on a giant screen. 
   
   To rapturous applause, Putin said the new technology had been developed despite skepticism from other countries about Russia's capabilities. 
   
   "I want to tell all those who have fueled the arms race over the last 15 years, sought to win unilateral advantages over Russia, introduced unlawful sanctions aimed to contain our country's development ... you have failed to contain Russia," he said. 
   
   He accused the West of "ignoring us. Nobody listened to us. Well listen to us now." 
   
   "Russia’s strong military is a guarantor of peace on our planet." 
   
   He boasted that Russia's new ICBM is “powerful and modern and defense systems will not be able to withstand it,” he said. “Missile defenses will be useless against it.” 
   
   Other new weapons include the Avangard — an intercontinental hypersonic missile that would fly to targets at a speed 20 times the speed of sound — and a weapons system called Kinzhal, already deployed in southern Russia, that uses hypersonic missiles that can strike targets 1,250 miles away. 
   
   Putin insisted Russia had "no plans to be an aggressor." 
   
   "We are not going to take anything away from anybody. We have everything we need," he said. "Russia’s strong military is a guarantor of peace on our planet." 
   
   However, he warned: "Any use of nuclear weapons against Russia or its allies … any kind of attack … will be regarded as a nuclear attack against Russia and in response we will take action instantaneously no matter what the consequences are. Nobody should have any doubt about that." 
   
   Paul Cheung / NBC News 
   
   He added: "Our policy will never be based on exceptionalism, we just protect our own interests." 
   
   America's nuclear strategy had "raised concerns in Russia," he said. 
   
   The display of military prowess came at the end of Putin's state-of-the-nation speech, which lasted almost two hours and covered everything from health care to the annual grain harvest. 
   
   Earlier, the leader pledged to improve the lives of Russians by cutting poverty by half, boosting pensions and creating more daycare places. He also called for spending on urban infrastructure to be doubled over the next six years. 
   
   Journalists watch as Russian President Vladimir Putin gives his annual state of the nation address in Moscow on Thursday. Alexander Zemlianichenko / AP 
   
   However, there was no detail on how his spending pledges would be funded. 
   
   Polls suggest Putin, who has dominated Russian politics as president or prime minister for 18 years, is on track to comfortably secure another six-year term. 
   
   He told lawmakers and members of the political elite that Russia had "huge potential" but needed to improve its living standards. 
   
   "We have not reached the necessary level in terms of people's well-being," he said. 
   
   Some 20 million Russians — or almost one-in-seven people — are still living below the poverty line, Putin added, calling it "unacceptable." 
   
   Almost 70 percent of Russians are ready to support Putin in the March 18 election, according to a poll published Thursday by state news agency, TASS. 
   
   There has been little in the way of campaigning, and opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been barred from running. He was arrested Jan. 28 moments before a protest march in Moscow. Navalny wants voters to boycott the election, hoping low turnout will take the shine off Putin’s likely win. ||||| President says Russia has new line of nuclear-capable weapons that can breach US defences 
   
   Vladimir Putin has announced that Russia has developed and is testing a new line of strategic nuclear-capable weapons that would be able to outmanoeuvre US defences, in a possible signal of a new arms race between Moscow and the west. 
   
   Speaking in a nationally televised address to the country’s political elite weeks before the presidential election, Putin showed video and animations of ICBMs, nuclear-powered cruise missiles, underwater drones and other weapons that he said Russia had developed as a result of the US pulling out of the 1972 anti-ballistic missile treaty signed with the Soviet Union. 
   
   
   
   “You didn’t listen to our country then,” Putin said during the speech on Thursday. “Listen to us now.” Some of the weapons were already being tested, he added. 
   
   
   
   The existence of several of the weapons systems – like the RS-28 Sarmat, or Satan 2, nuclear missile – were well-known and their tests had been previously reported. What was new was Putin’s portrayal of Russia’s modernising arsenal as an adversarial response to US policy since 2001. 
   
   
   
   Play Video 1:04 Putin presents new ballistic rocket, Sarmat - video 
   
   The speech came in the same month that the Pentagon released a new nuclear arms policy, which followed a promise by the US president, Donald Trump, to develop an arsenal “so strong and powerful that it will deter any acts of aggression”. The policy envisioned low-yield nuclear weapons on submarine-launched ballistic missiles that could match similar Russian weapons. 
   
   
   
   Putin’s message was one of defiance. “I would like to tell those who have been trying to escalate the arms race for the past 15 years, to gain unilateral advantages over Russia, and to impose restrictions and sanctions … The attempt at curbing Russia has failed,” he said. 
   
   
   
   His remarks came during a state of the union speech heavy with economic promises for the Russian people and sabre-rattling against the US. It was widely viewed as his first campaign speech for Russia’s presidential elections on 18 March. The Kremlin is primarily concerned with boosting turnout, as Putin is expected to cruise to a fourth term as president. 
   
   
   
   Quick guide Hypersonic missiles and the 'doomsday torpedo' Show Hide Hypersonic glide weapons First mooted in the 1960s, hypersonic glide weapons are designed to fly at ultra-high speeds and at much lower altitudes than ballistic missiles, with the idea that they would be effectively undetectable by existing anti-missiles systems. Although the US was believed to be further advanced in its testing, Russia has been working hard on its Yu-74 hypersonic weapon which may become operational as early as 2020. China is among other countries believed to be pursuing the technology. The Russian version – part of a project called Objekt 4202 – was designed to counter both the Nato missile defence shield and the US's Thaad anti-missile system. It could fly from Moscow to London in around 13 minutes, armed with multiple nuclear warheads. One suggestion for delivery is that it may be launched from the new Russian Sarmat intercontinental missile system – due to come into service this year. The Yu-74 is planned to achieve its hypersonic speed, around Mach 10, by using gravity as it falls back to earth. The 'doomsday torpedo' Putin also mentioned a nuclear-armed underwater drone likely to be the Kanyon or Status-6. Described in some places as the Russian ‘doomsday torpedo', its existence was confirmed earlier this year in a draft of the Pentagon’s Nuclear Posture Review. Reportedly first detected by US intelligence in 2016, the submarine-launched autonomous vehicle can carry a 100 megaton nuclear warhead. It has a range of 6,200 miles, a top speed of over 56 knots and can descend to depths of 3,280 feet. 
   
   There were signs that the authorities wanted to attract extra attention to the speech by moving it from the gilded St George’s Hall at the Kremlin to an exhibition space in central Moscow where video and infographics could be shown. 
   
   The first hour of the speech was conventional, if optimistic. Putin promised to raise life expectancy by 10 years, to increase Russia’s GDP by 50% by 2025 and halve the poverty rate. He said Russia would have to latch on to a wave of technological advances or risk “drowning in that wave”. 
   
   The interactive presentation began with graphs showing birth rates and harvest totals in recent years, but it was mainly used as a platform to show off Russia’s latest weaponry, some of it capable of delivering a nuclear strike anywhere in the world. 
   
   Facebook Twitter Pinterest The video screen shows the Kinzhal air missile system as Vladimir Putin (right) delivers his annual address. Photograph: Tass/Barcroft Images 
   
   Putin highlighted a test of Russia’s RS-28 Sarmat missile. According to state media, the intercontinental ballistic missile is able to fly 6,800 miles with a payload of 15 warheads, though the actual capabilities of the missile have not been shown. The Russian defence ministry said it had conducted a successful test launch in October, during which the missile had travelled 3,600 miles before hitting a target area in Russia’s far east. 
   
   Putin also said Russia had developed a working laser weapon, a hypersonic missile and a cruise missile powered by a nuclear reactor that could fly indefinitely. 
   
   
   
   He said the plane-launched hypersonic missile, called Kinzhal or dagger, could manoeuvre while travelling at more than 10 times the speed of sound, making it “guaranteed to overcome all existing and I think prospective anti-missile systems” and deliver a nuclear strike. Putin claimed it had completed testing and was already in use. 
   
   He also spoke about the RS-26 ballistic missile, Avangard, which Putin said “heads towards its target like a meteorite”. The missile has already raised concerns in the US about its compliance with global arms treaties. 
   
   Facebook Twitter Pinterest Putin delivers his annual address to the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation. Photograph: Tass/Barcroft Images 
   
   Putin showed several animated videos of prototype weapons, including a nuclear-powered cruise missile that theoretically has a limitless range. He showed it navigating anti-air defences in the Atlantic Ocean before skirting the coast around South America and heading for the California coastline before the video faded to black. 
   
   
   
   After each demonstration, the crowd applauded. 
   
   The Pentagon played down Putin’s speech, saying Moscow’s weaponry had already been factored into US assessments. “We’re not surprised by the statements and the American people should rest assured that we are fully prepared,” said spokeswoman Dana White. 
   
   US officials say American missile defence systems are not aimed at Moscow, but are instead designed to defend against threats from Iran, North Korea and other potential adversaries. 
   
   Russia has been aggressively marketing its latest military technology. Its first stealth fighter, the Su-57, was deployed to Syria for combat testing last week. Analysts said the jet’s capabilities were still not clear, and that the deployment could be designed to show the Su-57 programme was moving forward despite time and cost overruns. 
   
   
   
   In a nod to public opinion, Putin announced an online contest to name Russia’s new cruise missile and underwater drone. 
   
   Putin has given the constitutionally mandated speech on “the situation in the country” 14 times since he first became president in 2000. He did not do so during the four years he was prime minister. 
   
   His address, which generally lasts around an hour, is given to an audience of lawmakers from the state Duma and federation council, judges, ministers and other members of the political establishment, and generally focuses on domestic issues such as the economy and corruption. ||||| Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption President Putin introduced video of a missile launch 
   
   Russia has developed a new array of nuclear weapons that are invincible, according to President Vladimir Putin. 
   
   Mr Putin made the claims as he laid out his key policies for a fourth presidential term, ahead of an election he is expected to win in 17 days' time. 
   
   The weapons he boasted of included a cruise missile that he said could "reach anywhere in the world". 
   
   He said of the West: "They need to take account of a new reality and understand ... [this]... is not a bluff." 
   
   Giving his annual state of the nation speech, Mr Putin used video presentations to showcase the development of two new nuclear delivery systems that he said could evade detection. One video graphic appeared to show missiles raining down on the US state of Florida. 
   
   One system Mr Putin described included a "low-flying, difficult-to-spot cruise missile... with a practically unlimited range and an unpredictable flight path, which can bypass lines of interception and is invincible in the face of all existing and future systems of both missile defence and air defence". 
   
   Another was a submarine-launched, long-range missile capable of delivering a nuclear warhead. 
   
   During the two-hour televised speech to a joint sitting of both houses of parliament, he said the weapons were a response to US development of its missile defence system. 
   
   The US State Department said it was "certainly unfortunate to have watched the video animation that depicted a nuclear attack on the United States" - adding that it was not "the behaviour of a responsible international player". 
   
   Opposition leader barred from vote 
   
   Mr Putin faces seven challengers on 18 March, although none is expected to attract widespread support. The president played no part in a raucous televised debate broadcast on Wednesday that featured the other candidates. 
   
   Absent from the campaign is prominent opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who has been barred from running and has called on voters to boycott the poll. 
   
   President Putin has so far done little campaigning, and until now has said little about his plans for the next six years. 
   
   Wowing his audience 
   
   By Steven Rosenberg, BBC News, Moscow 
   
   Before today, Vladimir Putin had delivered 13 state of the nation addresses. Address Number 14 turned out to be very different from anything that had come before. 
   
   Standing in front of a giant video screen, President Putin showcased Russia's very latest strategic weapons. Like a magician pulling one rabbit after another out of his hat, he wowed his audience with images of cruise missiles, intercontinental ballistic missiles, underwater drones and supersonic jets. 
   
   Russian MPs and senators applauded the military video show, which dominated the second half of President Putin's speech. 
   
   There was a double message here. Firstly, to the West: don't push us. And, with elections coming up, there was this for the Russian people: Vote for Putin and you'll be voting for national security. 
   
   I suspect the concluding image was designed to reinforce just that: as Vladimir Putin stood to the national anthem, a giant Russian flag appeared on the video screen behind him. It is a message that is likely to strike a chord with many here. 
   
   Fighting poverty 
   
   Mr Putin tailored the first half of his speech towards working Russians and their concerns. 
   
   He pledged to halve poverty in the country within the next six years and said he wanted life-expectancy rates to emulate Japan and France. 
   
   Image copyright AFP Image caption It was Mr Putin's last speech before the election 
   
   "Every person matters to us," he said, adding that he also wanted to increase employment and longevity. 
   
   In 2000 there were 42 million people in Russia living below the poverty line, he noted; today there were 20 million, but this still needed to come down. 
   
   He warned Russians not to take the country's power for granted. 
   
   "Russia is now a leading country with a powerful foreign economic and defence potential," he said. 
   
   "But from the point of view of the extremely important task of ensuring people's quality of life and welfare we, of course, have not achieved the level we require. But we have to do this and will do this," he added to applause. 
   
   Vladimir Putin: Russia's action man president 
   
   Mr Putin also pledged to spend more on roads and reduce accidents; said teachers deserved good salaries and wages; and said there should be better access to both the internet and medical services for people in remote areas. 
   
   How credible are weaponry claims? 
   
   Image copyright Reuters Image caption One of the video graphics appeared to show missiles dropping on the US state of Florida 
   
   Analysis by Jonathan Marcus, BBC defence correspondent 
   
   President Putin's emphasis on a strong Russia modernising its nuclear arsenal is a reflection of similar statements over recent months from his US counterpart Donald Trump. 
   
   In his remarks, Mr Putin highlighted the development of two new nuclear delivery systems, which, he said, could evade US anti-ballistic missile defences. 
   
   This is essentially because neither of them are ballistic missiles, which are fired out of the atmosphere in a high-arcing trajectory. 
   
   One - effectively a very long-range nuclear-tipped torpedo - has been rumoured to be under development since Soviet days but is now seen by US analysts as a credible threat. 
   
   The second system - described by Mr Putin as a cruise missile - looks to be more of a work in progress and may be a kind of very high-speed "hypersonic" system - described by one arms control expert as a "glider on steroids" - that again could evade existing anti-missile defences. 
   
   China and the US are also working on similar systems of their own. 
   
   Technology and security 
   
   Digital growth was also essential, Mr Putin said during his speech. He said he wanted Russia to become one of the world's main hubs for storing and processing big data. 
   
   Image copyright EPA Image caption Graphics - including this one on Russia's working-age population (in millions) - flashed up throughout 
   
   He called for more progress in making robots and artificial intelligence. New talent in technology should be nurtured and foreigners should be encouraged to study in Russia, he said. 
   
   Mr Putin also spoke of Russian operations in Syria - supporting the Assad government's fight against rebels - which, he said, showed off the country's increased defence capabilities. 
   
   Russia recently sent two of its most advanced fighter planes, Su-57s, to Syria, even though they are still undergoing tests. 
   
   Image copyright AFP Image caption There was no confirmation that Russia's new stealth fighters have been used in combat in Syria 
   
   Mr Putin also announced that a bridge to the Crimean peninsula would be open within the next couple of months. Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, during Mr Putin's current term in office. 
   
   Russia was safeguarding its interest in the Arctic region by strengthening its military infrastructure in the region, he said.
target: – Vladimir Putin's annual speech to lawmakers Thursday contained what appears to be a jarring threat to the US and the rest of the world: Russia has a new, "invincible" missile that can go anywhere and cannot be stopped, he said. A video graphic behind Putin showed a missile taking off from Russia, zooming across the Atlantic to South America, then turning north toward the US, reports the Washington Post. "I hope everything that has been said today will sober any potential aggressor," Putin said, without naming names. He added that Russia had developed the nuclear-capable weapon, which "missile defenses will be useless against," despite skepticism about Moscow's abilities. "Nobody listened to us," he said, per NBC News. "Well listen to us now." Putin, who asserted that Moscow has "no plans to be an aggressor," also said Russia had a new underwater drone capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, reports the AP. And he declared that any use of nuclear weapons against one of its allies—again, he did not mention specific nations—would be considered a nuclear attack on Russia and that Moscow would respond in kind. All in all, the two-hour speech suggested "a new arms race" between Russia and the West, observes the Guardian. The speech comes less than three weeks before Putin is expected to easily win another six-year term, reports the BBC. He used much of the address to focus on economic reforms, promising among other things to reduce the rate of poverty by half in the next six years.