VLADIMIR Putin has deployed the world's biggest submarine which can be armed with a terrifying nuclear "apocalypse drone", NATO has reportedly warned.
As the tyrant edges the world into the most dangerous moment since his shambolic Ukraine invasion, there are fears Russia's giant nuclear-capable torpedo is now on the warpath.
The powerful K-329 Belgorod can reportedly trigger radioactive tsunamis and wipe out enemy coastlines with its underwater drone Poseidon.
Russian TV propagandist Dmitry Kiselyov once bragged Russia could "plunge Britain into the depths of the sea" with its "robotic drone Poseidon" by causing 1,640ft waves.
Details of the submarine's high speed 125mph underwater propulsion system have long been a closely guarded Russian secret.
But NATO has now sent a chilling warning to its member nations about the location of the mega weapon, La Repubblica reports.
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The 604ft-long Belgorod is currently said to be submerged in Arctic waters, suspected of being involved in the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines which led to huge gas explosions in the Baltic.
And Putin is reportedly feared to be testing the Poseidon super torpedo during its mission in the Arctic as the seven-month Ukraine war rages on – and he ramps up his nuclear threats.
Putin vowed to use "any means" to defend the four Ukrainian regions annexed to Russia as his invasion enters an unpredictable new phase.
The Russian leader's monster Belgorod nuclear sub can go up to 120 days without having to return to the surface.
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Defence expert H.I. Sutton told La Reppubblica: "It is a completely new type of weapon that will force Western navies to change their planning and develop new countermeasures."
First announced in 2015, some thought the Poseidon wouldn't come to fruition – but it seems Russia is steaming ahead.
Eerie footage of a successful "field test" of the Poseidon torpedo was released by Russian media last year.
The video appears to show the weapon being released by soldiers on a submarine and features green waves in the supposed aftermath of the explosion.
The nuclear weapon can be dropped onto the seabed by a submarine or ship and travel through shore defences until it reaches the desired location.
The weapon is said to move slowly and deep underwater – but it can boost its speed if detected.
Its nuclear warhead is then designed to explode, sending a tsunami of radioactive waves onto the targeted coastline.
Christopher A Ford, a former assistant secretary of state for International Security and Non-Proliferation, told CNN the torpedo is being designed to "inundate US coastal cities with radioactive tsunamis".
NATO has already issued a chilling nuclear war warning after Putin's deranged speech last week.
Jens Stoltenberg, who heads the Western military alliance, said Putin's move to make four regions of Ukraine part of Russia has brought the world one step closer to nuclear Armageddon.
"Putin has mobilised hundreds of thousands of more troops, engaged in irresponsible nuclear sabre rattling and now illegally annexed more Ukrainian territory," he said.
"Together, this represents the most serious escalation since the start of the war.
"NATO reaffirms its unwavering support for Ukraine's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
"We remain resolute in providing support to Ukraine as it continues to defend itself against Russia's aggression, for as long as it takes."
Meanwhile, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin warned Putin's nuclear threats might not be a bluff.
He told CNN: "There are no checks on Mr Putin. Just as he made the irresponsible decision to invade Ukraine, you know, he could make another decision."
Austin said what will happen next in the Ukraine war is "hard to predict".
But former CIA director and retired four-star army general David Petraeus said the US and its allies would destroy Russia's troops if Putin uses nuclear weapons in the country.
He told ABC News: "It can still get worse for Putin and for Russia… you have to take the threat seriously.
“Just to give you a hypothetical, we would respond by leading a NATO – a collective – effort that would take out every Russian conventional force that we can see and identify on the battlefield in Ukraine and also in Crimea and every ship in the Black Sea."
And despite Ukraine not being a member of NATO, a "US and NATO response" would be in order if Russia uses nukes, Petraeus said.
Petraeus admitted the likelihood that radiation would reach NATO countries could be taken as an attack on a NATO member.
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“Perhaps you can make that case. The other case is that this is so horrific that there has to be a response – it cannot go unanswered," he said.
But he added: "You don’t want to, again, get into a nuclear escalation here. But you have to show that this cannot be accepted in any way."
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