India, May 13 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Tuesday that Moscow would deploy its nuclear-capable Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile by the end of the year.

The announcement, made during a televised meeting with top military officials, marked Russia's latest attempt to showcase its next-generation strategic weapons programme amid ongoing tensions with the West, according to a Bloomberg report.

"This is the most powerful missile in the world," Putin said in his address. He added that the combined power of the Sarmat's individually targeted warheads is more than four times higher than of any of its Western counterparts, according to a report by The Associated Press.

The military conducted a successful test of the...