Putin shows new Russian nuclear weapons: ‘It isn’t a bluff’

Plant added that while 'Russia already has a ton of systems that can threaten and overwhelm U.S. missile defenses,' Putin’s announcement reflects his country’s concern that the U.S. missile shield could grow powerful enough to become a game-changer. 'The Russians have a genuine worry from their perspective about where U.S. missile defense might go,” Plant said. “So it totally makes sense for them to try and find ways to defeat not what it is now, but what it may become.'