Russia to deploy missiles that can pierce NATO defenses, Putin says

Russian President Vladimir Putin told senior defense officials on Tuesday that Russia will respond to NATO's missile defense plan by developing an advanced missile that can pierce NATO's defensive shield. He claimed that Washington's development of ballistic missiles is aimed at neutralizing Russia's strategic nuclear deterrent and achieving decisive military superiority. In addition, Putin said his country's defense industries had developed and tested weapons that can compete with the Western defense system over the past three years, and that operational use of some of those weapons had begun this year.