Russia has unveiled chilling pictures of its largest ever nuclear missile, capable of destroying an area the size of France.

• The RS-28 Sarmat missile, dubbed Satan 2, will replace the SS-18
• Flies at 4.3 miles (7km) per sec and with a range of 6,213 miles (10,000km)

The weapons are perceived as part of an increasingly aggressive Russia. It could deliver a warhead of 40 megatons.

The RS-28 Sarmat missile, dubbed Satan 2 by Nato, has a top speed of 4.3 miles (7km) per second and has been designed to outfox anti-missile shield systems.

The new Sarmat missile could deliver warheads of 40 megatons - 2,000 times as powerful as the atom bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.

The RS-28 Sarmat missile is said to contain 16 nuclear warheads and is capable of destroying an area the size of France or Texas, according to Russian news network Zvezda, which is owned by Russia's ministry of defence.

The weapon is also able to evade radar.

It is expected to have a range of 6,213 miles (10,000 km), which would allow Moscow to attack London and other European cities as well as reaching cities on America's west and east coasts.