A retired Russian colonel has made outlandish claims that Moscow has planted nuclear missiles off the east coast of America that could trigger a tsunami if detonated.

The far-fetched plans were outlined by Viktor Baranetz, who claimed it was a response to the US building up its military along Russia's borders.

“The Americans are deploying their tanks, airplanes and special forces battalions along the Russian border,” Mr Baranetz said in an interview with Russian paper Komsomolskaya Pravda.

“And we are quietly ‘seeding’ the US shoreline with nuclear ‘mole’ missiles. They dig themselves in and "sleep" until they are given the command..."