In a federal message before the national election on March 18, President Putin told lawmakers: "We consider any use of nuclear weapons against Russia or its allies as a nuclear attack on our own country. The reaction will be immediate".
To prove the claim, Mr. Putin said that Russia has tested many new types of weapons, and at the end of 2017, tested a nuclear-powered missile that could fire at any place in the world and that no missile defense system could intercept.
In addition to the cruise missile, Russia has also tested a new intercontinental ballistic missile with a longer range and a greater payload than previous generation missiles, Putin said.
