Russian President Vladimir Putin has been awarded an eighth-degree black belt in Kyokushin Karate

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been awarded an eighth-degree black belt in karate - just as a former Soviet leader accused him of having a God complex.

The Kremlin leader has now received an eighth dan in the kyokushin-kan form of karate from the Russian federation of the sport, Kyokushin-kan International Honbu.

This comes just as Mikhail Gorbachev blasted Putin for getting big headed and seeing himself as God's deputy, complaining that the Russian President now never consults him.

The 83-year-old father of glasnost declared: 'He has started picking up the same illness which I suffered from earlier - self-confidence.

'He thinks he is second only to God, but I don't know in charge of what really.'

He warned Putin: 'Don't get a big head. That is what ruined me.'

Putin is expected to receive his award at a ceremony in December during the world championship of the sport.

Kyokushin is a style of stand-up, full contact karate in which the participants wear no protective gear.

The former KGB officer is already is a grandmaster in taekwondo, earning his ninth dan in that martial art in 2013.

He is also a judo enthusiast, picking up the practice at age 11, according to his official biography on the Kremlin website.

'Judo teaches self-control, the ability to feel the moment, to see the opponent's strengths and weaknesses, to strive for the best results,' he said.

'I am sure you will agree that these are essential abilities and skills for any politician.'

Gorbachev's outburst emerged after Angela Merkel spent a furious four hours locked in private talks with the Russian president as they tried to thrash out a solution to the Ukraine conflict.

After the main G20 dinner the two leaders met in a small conference room at the Hilton Hotel in Brisbane, where they closed the door to all advisers.

She emerged from the discussions at the Hilton Hotel in Brisbane apparently rattled by the talks, in what appears to be a sign of worsening relations between Germany and Russia.

But a ceremony with Polish prime minister Ewa Kopacz in the southern Polish town of Krzyżowa, Merkel insisted that she wanted to keep dialogue open between the two countries.

'We are aware that Europe's security can only be ensured, in the medium and long term, with Russia,' she said.

'The sanctions are not a goal in themselves. They are applied only when necessary,' Merkel added, referring to western sanctions placed on Russia.

Putin is expected to receive his award at a ceremony in December during the world championship of the sport

Mikhail Gorbachev (right) made the comments as he launched his book After the Kremlin, which actually praises Putin (left)

Gorbachev made comments about the Russian president as he launched his new book 'After the Kremlin', which praises Putin.

He said the former KGB spy had played a major role in stabilising Russia, and that despite applying 'authoritarian methods', Putin worked 'in the interest of the majority'.

But the former Soviet president said apart from a chance meeting in June 'we met on the go, shook hands and spoke briefly', Putin's aides tell him categorically that he is too busy to meet.

Gorbachev is popular in the West, but less so in Russia, where he blamed for the collapse of the Soviet superpower.

But he vowed he would not be gagged by Putin or any of his foes.

'I need to participate, and I will. Nobody will shut my mouth, even though people wanted me to emigrate. I don't want to leave, let those people leave,' he said.

'I am called a traitor because I destroyed so many nuclear arms. The second treachery is that we built good relations with the US.'

Former KGB officer is already is a grandmaster in taekwondo, earning his ninth dan in that martial art in 2013

Angela Merkel (left) spent a furious four hours locked in private talks with the Russian president as they tried to thrash out a solution to the Ukraine conflict

Gorbachev recently warned of a new Cold War between east and west, 25 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

'What is happening now in Ukraine is in many ways due to the mistakes of the breakup of the Soviet Union,' he said.

He insisted that Putin was right to restore Crimea to Russia after a referendum, which the West branded as illegitimate.

'Crimea was Russian, and most people in Crimea voted in favour of joining Russia,' he said.

'I supported this move from the beginning, and I am half-Ukrainian.'

But he said: 'I worry about what is happening in Ukraine.