NATO has reportedly warned its members that Russian President Vladimir Putin may test a massive nuclear torpedo called Poseidon, reports the Times of London.
According to the report, a senior U.K. defense source has said that the Kremlin is planning to test a "doomsday" nuclear torpedo drone.
The outlet quoted La Repubblica newspaper saying that the Russian submarine K-329 Belgorod is carrying the Poseidon and is believed to be headed to the Arctic.
The test would be carried out near the Ukrainian border in the Black Sea to show Putin's willingness to use weapons of mass destruction.
Another report suggests that Poseidon can carry a 2-megaton warhead — more than 150 times the power of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945.
Poseidon is a long-range undersea nuke designed to hit coastal cities. With an estimated 100 tons, Poseidon is too large to be launched by all but the newest Russian submarine designs.
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Last month, Putin accused the West of engaging in "nuclear blackmail." He warned the West that "it's not a bluff" and that Russia would use all means to protect its territory.
"To those who allow themselves such statements regarding Russia, I want to remind you that our country also has various means of destruction, and for separate components and more modern than those of NATO countries," he said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Putin would not survive a nuclear attack if the latter decided to use such weapons in the war against Ukraine.
President Joe Biden warned of the escalating threat in the wake of threats issued by Putin.
Biden said, "I don't think there's any such thing as the ability to easily (use) a tactical nuclear weapon and not end up with Armageddon."
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