VLADIMIR Putin’s new Oreshnik super-weapon is largely a cynical propaganda invention to scare the West, insiders claim, in the latest blow to his credibility.
Russia fired the nuclear-capable hypersonic missile at Dnipro, Ukraine in November, with its mad dictator threatening to blast parts of Kyiv "to dust" with it.
Fearsome footage of the attack sent alarm around the world, swirling fears of nuclear Armageddon.
Since then, the tyrant has gleefully boasted about his new war toy and vowed to massively increase his arsenal of the Oreshnik missiles.
But Russian insiders have blasted this claim and say the Oreshnik threat to Ukraine - and the West - is in fact just an "orchestrated show" by Putin and his puppets.
Four insiders told the Moscow Times that the weapon's imminent use to unleash major damage, and in the mad dictators words turn Kyiv "to dust", is near-impossible.
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According to , one Russian source revealed: "There were brainstorming sessions on how to respond and how to put the Americans and the British in their place for allowing Zelensky to use long-range weapons [against Putin territory].
"And how to scare Berlin and other Europeans so that they don't do it again."
The report said "a classic military propaganda campaign" was designed to "instil exaggerated ideas about the Russian military-industrial complex".
Another Russian official explained how it was all just a "show" and that there were several episodes that were "staged and presented to the public".
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They said: "The main ones were the actual strike with the Oreshnik missile, [and] the dissemination of footage on social networks and in foreign media."
Initially, when the missile fired there were fears that it was a terrifying Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM).
The Kremlin later said it fired their new intermediate-range missile at a Ukrainian military target.
The report even claims that the chilling moment a person called a Russian spokeswoman to tell her to shut up about Vladimir Putin’s believed ICBM attack was all part of the propaganda operation.
"The actors in the show included Foreign Ministry press secretary Maria Zakharova and Kremlin media curator Alexei Gromov," the report revealed.
"The latter called Zakharova right during the briefing and forbade her over the speakerphone ‘to comment on the ballistic missile strike’ on Dnipro."
One of the Russian officials told the news outlet: "Some participants in the brainstorming sessions were especially proud of this trick with the alleged call from Gromov."
A defence ministry source admitted that Russia "most likely does not have any real reserves of the Oreshnik systems.
They added that "given the bureaucracy and backwardness", the industry would actually need five to seven years to "set up their production" of the weapon.
Previously the Kremlin dictator and his propagandists had bluntly threatened to use nuclear weapons.
But there was a feeling their bluff had been called and they needed a new non-nuclear threat with which to terrify Ukraine and the West.
He likened a non-nuclear Oreshnik to a "meteorite", saying the temperature of the blast zone would be almost as great as the surface of the sun.
The charred wreckage of the missile were seen for the first time in unbelievable images, allowing Ukrainian experts to study the debris and gain insight into Russian military supply chains.
Putin gloated: "These are quite powerful elements that are heated up to a temperature of 4,000 degrees centigrade.
"A kinetic impact, a massive impact - like a meteorite falling.
"We know in history how and what meteorites fell where and what the consequences were.
"It was enough to form whole lakes, wasn't it?"
The apparent secret development of Oreshnik was hyped as Russia's nuclear threats "are no longer as effective as they once were", with both experts and Western leaders "calling to ignore them".
The report added: "This is why Kremlin spin doctors recommended launching a massive PR campaign around the Oreshnik.
"However, Russia lacks a substantial stockpile of Oreshnik systems, and Putin himself admitted that the strike on Dnipro was a test.
"Realistically, it would take years to mass-produce the Oreshnik given the bureaucratic inefficiencies and lagging innovation that plague Russia's defence sector."
Pavel Aksyonov, a military analyst at BBC Russian, said: "Putin waved the nuclear stick around for too long.
"He needed something new, so [he brought out] the Oreshnik.
"It hasn’t destroyed anything, it won’t be available for the army anytime soon, but everyone is afraid."
VLAD'S HUMILIATION CONTINUES
As the mad dictator continues to attempt to keep morale high despite his crumbling credibility , he ordered Russian officials to start preparing how he is going to spin his war into a "victory".
Russia's presidential office even ordered its cronies to receive "training" on preparing 144 million Russians for the end of the bloody conflict.
He is also currently grappling with a worrying dilemma as he fights on two fronts with his illegal invasion of Ukraine still faltering and the recent rise of bloodshed in Syria.
Advancing rebel forces have captured swathes of northern Syria after launching a shock offensive to seize Aleppo this week in a brutal blow to evil leader Assad.
His closest ally in Putin was left scrambling to protect his precious pal's regime.
He quickly launched two rounds of aerial revenge strikes in a desperate attempt to halt the surging rebels as they headed south.
This has left Putin and his men badly overstretched as they continue to battle for territory in Ukraine on all fronts.
And for over a year Putin has bragged about his own version of the Olympic Games - only to abort them in the latest humiliating U-turn.
It would be a “record-breaking” ceremony of sporting excellence, the world was told.
Then Vlad kept us guessing, postponing the Friendship Games not once, but twice.
And now the Kremlin has announced the games have been canned until further notice.
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A mere few days ago too Putin's motorcade was driven past a giant Ukraine flag on his visit to Kazakhstan.
The tyrant was left embarrassed by suspected brave hackers when his presidential welcome went seriously wrong - as officials launched a criminal probe into the major blunder.