A new "Kraken" arises? Russians eager to name doomsday arms

In just one day, the suggestions have been pouring in "Kraken" for a new underwater drone capable of blasting coastlines with a powerful nuclear explosion. "Balalaika" for a futuristic nuclear-powered cruise missile capable of circling the globe.

This video grab provided by RU-RTR Russian television via AP television on Thursday, March 1, 2018, shows the launch of what President Vladimir Putin said is Russia's new nuclear-powered intercontinental cruise missile. (RU-RTR Russian Television via AP)

Russians are showering the Defense Ministry with proposed names for the country's new nuclear weapons, relishing the online contest announced by President Vladimir Putin in his state-of-the-nation address Thursday.

In this video grab provided by RU-RTR Russian television via AP television on Thursday, March 1, 2018, a computer simulation shows the flight of a prospective Russian nuclear-powered cruise missile en route to a target. (RU-RTR Russian Television via AP)

Many of the entries Friday reflected the wry dark humor Russians are known for.

Someone suggested calling the missile "Sanction," an apparent reference to Western economic sanctions against Russia for its support of separatists in Ukraine.

Another proposed calling it "Thaw," adding in a note of sarcasm that it would finally help warm the ties between Russia and the U.S.

In this video grab provided by RU-RTR Russian television via AP television on Thursday, March 1, 2018, a computer simulation shows a Russian nuclear-powered underwater drone being released by a submarine. (RU-RTR Russian Television via AP)

In this video grab provided by RU-RTR Russian television via AP television on Thursday, March 1, 2018, a computer simulation shows a Russian nuclear-powered underwater drone heading to target. (RU-RTR Russian Television via AP)

The Kraken — a fictional gigantic Arctic sea monster that was made popular by the "Pirates of the Caribbean" film series — seemed to reflect the nature of the nuclear-powered drone intended to sneak close to the shore unnoticed and slam a heavy nuclear warhead into the coast.

And naming the stealth atomic-powered cruise missile after a Russian folk musical instrument tapped into a long Russian tradition of giving innocuous names to some of the deadliest weapons.

In this video grab provided by RU-RTR Russian television via AP television on Thursday, March 1, 2018, the Avangard hypersonic vehicle blasts off during a test launch at an undisclosed location in Russia. (RU-RTR Russian Television via AP)

There were quite a few four-letter entries as well. Many others were driven by patriotic feelings, suggesting that the weapons be named after legendary Russian warriors or Putin himself.

The regional leader of the province of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, proposed calling the nuclear-powered cruise missile "Palmyra," after the historic heritage site in Syria that was taken back from the Islamic State group under the Russian air cover. The site suffered extensive damage in the fighting.

In this video grab provided by RU-RTR Russian television via AP television on Thursday, March 1, 2018, a computer simulation shows the Avangard hypersonic vehicle being released from booster rockets. (RU-RTR Russian Television via AP)

"The missile's name should honor our guys who died in Syria," Kadyrov said. "The Russian victory in Palmyra marked a turning point in the fight against the IS."

In this video grab provided by RU-RTR Russian television via AP television on Thursday, March 1, 2018, a computer simulation shows the Avangard hypersonic vehicle maneuvering to bypass missile defenses en route to a target. (RU-RTR Russian Television via AP)

Russian diplomats have sought to spread the contest beyond Russia's borders, with the Russian Embassy in Washington tweeting a link to the Defense Ministry's website.

Speaking Friday at a public forum in Kaliningrad, Putin again boasted about the new weapons, saying that the still-anonymous underwater drone, the nuclear-powered cruise missile and the intercontinental hypersonic strike vehicle called Avangard border on science fiction.

In this video grab provided by RU-RTR Russian television via AP television on Thursday, March 1, 2018, a computer simulation shows the Avangard hypersonic vehicle maneuvering to bypass missile defenses en route to a target. (RU-RTR Russian Television via AP)

He said the underwater drone "goes faster than any surface ship that exists today, I wouldn't even tell you the speed, it's incredible."

The hypersonic vehicle "flies at a speed 20 times the speed of sound ... and it can maneuver thousands of kilometers up and down and right to left," Putin said, gesticulating energetically. "It's like science fiction."

He said the Avangard's development had become possible thanks to the creation of new materials.

In this video grab provided by RU-RTR Russian television via AP television on Thursday, March 1, 2018, a Russian military truck with a laser weapon mounted on it is shown at an undisclosed location in Russia. (RU-RTR Russian Television via AP)

"We have been working on them for quite a long time," he said. "Other countries also have tried but apparently so far have failed to make them, and we succeeded thanks to new materials."

As the weapon name contest went on, Russian officials and lawmakers insisted that Putin's speech wasn't an announcement of a new arms race but a warning to Washington to treat Russia as an equal partner.

In this video grab provided by RU-RTR Russian television via AP television on Thursday, March 1, 2018, a computer simulation shows the Avangard hypersonic vehicle en route to a target. (RU-RTR Russian Television via AP)

"Russia has no intention of entering an arms race," Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Friday, adding that the weapons presented by the Russian leader aimed to maintain a "strategic parity, which is essential for maintaining peace and stability."

The Pentagon on Thursday dismissed Putin's boasts about developing a new array of nuclear weapons, saying America's missile defense is ready to protect the nation but is not directed at Russia.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is “strong and unpredictable,” and those qualities can be a decisive factor in his policy approach to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

However, Zelenskyy said it won’t be possible to end the almost three years of war in one day, as Trump claimed during his election campaign that he could do.

“The ‘hot’ stage of the war can end quite quickly, if Trump is strong in his position,” Zelenskyy said in a Ukrainian television interview late Thursday, referring to fighting on the battlefield.

“I believe (Trump) is strong and unpredictable. I would very much like President Trump’s unpredictability to be directed primarily toward the Russian Federation,” Zelenskyy said.

Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, hasn’t publicly fleshed out his policy on Ukraine, but his previous comments have put a question mark over whether the United States will continue to be Ukraine’s biggest — and most important — military backer.

Zelenskyy is eager to guarantee that Washington’s support keeps coming, and he met with Trump in New York even before the U.S. presidential election in November.

With the war about to enter its fourth year next month, and with Trump coming to power, the question of how and when Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II might end has come to the fore.

Russia controls about one-fifth of Ukraine, and capitalized last year on weaknesses in Ukraine’s defenses to slowly advance in eastern areas despite high losses of troops and equipment. The war’s trajectory isn't in Ukraine’s favor. The country is shorthanded on the front line and needs continued support from its Western partners.

Trump responded favorably to the possibility raised by French President Emmanuel Macron of Western peacekeepers being deployed in Ukraine to oversee an agreement that stops the fighting, Zelenskyy said. He met with Trump and Macron in Paris last month.

“But I raised an issue, saying we didn’t hear what specific countries will join this initiative, and whether the U.S. will be there,” Zelenskyy said.

The Ukrainian leader is determined for his country to become a NATO member. The alliance’s 32 member countries say that Ukraine will join one day, but not until the war ends.

“The deployment of European troops (to keep the peace in Ukraine) should not rule out Ukraine’s future in NATO,” Zelenskyy said in the television interview.

Zelenskyy described the incursion by Ukrainian forces into Russia’s Kursk border region as a “very strong trump card” in any future peace negotiations.

In a bid to counter glum news from the front line, Ukraine seized part of Kursk last August in what was the first occupation of Russian territory since World War II.

But the incursion didn’t significantly change the dynamic of the war, and military analysts say Ukraine has lost around 40% of the land it initially captured.

Nevertheless, Zelenskyy said that the achievement impressed countries in Asia, South America and Africa, and tarnished Russia’s military reputation.

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

FILE - Former President Donald Trump meets with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Trump Tower, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)