Vladimir Putin 's warship that has been armed with "unstoppable" nukes is set to sail past the UK.
The Russian leader is said to be getting ready to send a frigate armed with Mach 9 nuclear-capable hypersonic Zircon - or Tsirkon - missiles past the coast of Britain.
Frigate Admiral Gorshkov is due to lead a Russian naval task force early in 2023 in a show of strength to the West.
A source close to the Russian defence ministry told TASS state news agency: "The Admiral Gorshkov is scheduled to begin its combat duty at sea in January 2023.
“It will perform its combat tasks in the Mediterranean Sea, with Tsirkon hypersonic missiles on board.”
The Admiral Gorshkov went on its maiden mission in 2019 and was said to have a "vomit-inducing" ray.
It was reported to have been fitted with the Filin 5P-42 visual optical interference weapon which can blind enemies and cause nausea, feelings of disorientation and hallucinations.
This month, the vessel arrived at the Northern Fleet’s main base in the Arctic port Severomorsk after scheduled maintenance at Kronstadt Marine Plant.
The new mission is expected to take the Gorshkov from Severomorsk past the coast of Britain as it heads for provocative war games in the Mediterranean amid the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
However, the Russians have not disclosed the exact routing or timings.
Putin has boasted that the missiles have no rivals in the world.
Russian propaganda channel TV Zvezda boasted that the frigate “will very soon become the most dangerous enemy of surface ships in the world’s oceans”.
It indicated that Zircon tests would be carried out during the voyage without saying at what stage.
The deployment of the sea-fired 6,670 mph missile with a range of some 625 miles follows tests in the Barents Sea.
Oleg Gladkiy, commander of the Russian Northern Fleet's missile vessels, said: "The ship is armed with cruise missiles, including long-range and hypersonic Zirkon missiles.
“Of course, this carries a certain responsibility.”
Putin has taken a close interest in the development of the Zircon, a year ago announcing a “flawless” salvo launch involving the new-era missile.
Earlier it was identified by Moscow’s state-controlled TV as Putin’s weapon of choice to wipe out American cities in the event of an atomic conflict.
Putin has hailed “our newest [Zircon] missiles fired from the sea at sea targets, and land targets.
“The tests were carried out successfully, flawlessly.
“This is a big event for our country, a significant step in improving Russia’s security, in increasing (our) defence capability.”
He said it was in “serial production”, calling the weapon “truly unparalleled … in the world”.
TV Zvezda - a channel owned by the Russian defence ministry - said: “The speed of the Zircon hypersonic missile is so high that it prevents the opponent's air defence system from detecting its impact in time.
“In fact, its launch will be known only after the target has been hit.”
The missile has a “variable trajectory” to avoid detection, viewers were told.
The frigate’s captain Igor Krokhmal has said previously: “No one will see the missile launch or its flight.
“They will only see when the missile hits the target.
“A surface target, a coastal target. I don't think there will be anything to counter this in the next few years.”
The Gorshkov also carries the Kalibr-NK cruise missile system as a basic strike weapon.
