Russian State TV Discusses How to 'Destroy East and West Coasts of U.S.'

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By Gerrard Kaonga

US News Reporter

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A Russian politician discussed what the country would need to do to destroy the east and west coasts of the U.S. in a clip that has gone viral on social media.

While speaking on Russian state TV, Aleksey Zhuravlyov insisted Russia had the military capability to destroy America's coasts and said that the U.S. was trying to "raise the stakes."

The video has also gone viral on Twitter and been viewed over 550,000 times.

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While the Russian politician makes his claims in the clip, an English translation can be seen running along the bottom of the page.

Newsweek was able to independently verify that the words accompanying the video match what is being said. However, it is unclear when the video was recorded.

"I will completely tell you that to destroy the entire east coast of the U.S. two Sarmat missiles are necessary and two missiles for the west coast," Zhuravlyov said.

"Four missiles and there'll be nothing left, they think the mushroom will be taller than a high rise, that mushroom will be visible from Mexico.

"Guys, you're so funny what methods are they even using, they're trying to raise the stakes, are we supposed to object to that?

"We shouldn't fall for it, we're just explaining that their calculations are off, here's how you need to calculate, don't delude yourselves.

"What should be said is that there'll be nothing left, no one harbors any illusions about it, that everyone will be fine in case of nuclear war, no one will be fine, but calculate it correctly."

As the war in Ukraine edges closer to 100 days since its start, Russia continues to weigh up its options on offensives against the country.

A system designed to launch one of Russia's much-vaunted hypersonic missiles is expected to be ready for use by the end of the year, it has been reported.

News agency Tass said that a system to launch the Tsirkon missile was being developed at the renowned rocket design bureau NPO Mashinostroyenia in Reutov, near Moscow.

A military source told the agency that the coastal missile system is slated to enter service with the Russian navy "by the end of 2022."

Another source said the new system will have the capacity to strike both ground- and sea-based targets. This would give it the same capability as its predecessor, the Bastion, which deploys Oniks supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles.

Anatoly Svintsov, deputy general director of NPO Mashinostroeniya, told the Zvezda military TV channel that while there were aviation- and sea-based versions of the Tsirkon, his factory had been ordered to "intensify work on the creation of a marine version of the rocket."

Vladimir Putin

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The report of the missile system's development comes as the Russian navy is playing an increasingly critical role in the Ukraine war.

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