Putin says Russia has 'invincible' nukes

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday revealed that his country has developed nuclear weapons that are capable of avoiding any missile defence systems.

Speaking to the lawmakers at his annual address, Putin warned that Moscow would consider any nuclear attack, irrespective of its size, on it or its allies as an attack on Russia and would retaliate immediately by adopting Cold War-style overtones.

The Russian President, however, did not specify any of Moscow's allies or cite any immediate threats. He asserted that Russia had responded to the United States development of missile defense shields by developing its nuclear weapons resistant to any attack, The Washington Post reported.

On the big screen behind him during the address, video footage and computer graphics showed off the new weapons. In one animation, a missile launched from Russia was shown flying across the Atlantic Ocean, rounding the southern tip of South America and finally heading up the Pacific Ocean toward the US.

Continuing his tirade against the US, Putin added that Washington D.C. had "completely failed" to decipher Moscow's nuclear might seriously or to adequately negotiate arms control.

The nearly two-hour address by the Russian President to the lawmakers began with a series of promises to improve domestic living standards in Russia and ended with stark warnings to the US.

The speech, which was broadcast on Russian television, comes less than three weeks before the presidential elections on March 18, where Putin is set to win his fourth term as the president.