The president had announcements up his sleeve as well.

The military would soon be taking delivery of a new hypersonic cruise missile called Zircon, he said. The new weapon, which has an advertised range of more than 600 miles and top speed of Mach 9, is compatible with vessels outfitted with the Kalibr cruise missile system used extensively in the Syrian conflict. In addition, two of the systems unveiled last year would also get an earlier-than-expected outing. The Poseidon underwater nuclear drone would appear "in Spring." A new laser weapon called Peresvet would become operational “by December”.

And Mr Putin said Russia reserved the right to use the new weapons to target were the US to decide to deploy new intermediate-range missiles to Europe. The Cold War-era treaty on short and intermediate range missiles now appears to be dead in the water given that both sides have confirmed their intention to leave it.

In a statement given to the Interfax news agency, a Nato spokesman described Mr Putin’s “threats” as “unacceptable”. But how much the new weaponry actually changes the strategic balance is another matter.

At least part of Mr Putin’s calculations on Wednesday were geared towards rousing the patriotic vote in Russia, suggested Justin Bronk, a research fellow at RUSI, an international defence and security think tank based in London.

“The effectiveness of Russia’s strategic nuclear arsenal against the United States and Nato, in the event of nuclear war, is assured and has never been in doubt,” he said. “Internationally, of course, the new weapons serve as a reminder of Russia’s status as a massive nuclear power.”

While the major headlines were made abroad, Mr Putin’s speech was most closely watched in Moscow. Many inside the political leadership have privately expressed concerned about the fragility of the system, and were looking for evidence of systemic reform.

The president offered them few indications of a change in direction, concluded Konstantin Kalachyov, head of the Political Expert Group and an occasional Kremlin adviser.

“Those who believed there could be another Putin were left disappointed," he said. "And judging by the final text, the lobbying ability of the ministry of defence has trumped all else.”