Russian President Vladimir Putin stands with a gun at a shooting gallery of the GRU military intelligence headquarters Reuters

With nuclear tensions at a high between Russia and the West, Vladimir Putin has said that he is willing to destroy the world – but only if Russia is threatened.

In a two-hour video documentary released in his native Russia, Putin said that he would give the order to launch if Russia was threatened with nuclear missiles.

He told the host of World Order 2018, ‘This is called reciprocal strike. If there is this decision to destroy Russia then we have a legal right to respond.’

He said, ‘This would be a global catastrophe for humanity but I, as a citizen of Russia and the head of the Russian state would like to ask you this – what do we need a world for if there is no Russia in it?’

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The comments come after months of sabre-rattling by Russia and America.

Russia also said it was ready to begin work on its notorious ‘Satan 2’ missile, which can

carry 10 thermonuclear warheads, enough to devastate an entire country.

Satan-2

Details also leaked of a ‘Kanyon’ ‘doomsday torpedo’ which could swamp coastal areas in a radioactive tsunami up to 500 feet high.

In 2016, Vladimir Putin ordered nuclear war drill involving 40 million Russians and 200,000 specialist rescue units.

The Kremlin has ramped up measures designed for a nuclear war with the West – upgrading bomb shelters and dusting off Soviet-era civil defence plans.