Russia has released pictures of what it says is a successful test of the world's most powerful non-nuclear bomb.
State television showed footage of the device exploding in an intense fireball combined with a devastating blast, causing a nuclear bomb-like mushroom cloud and a massive shockwave.
The Russian device has been nicknamed the "Father Of All Bombs" because it is said to be four times as powerful as the US-developed Massive Ordnance Air Blast, which was dubbed the Mother Of All Bombs.
Its explosion is equivalent to 44 tonnes of regular explosives, and the blast area covers an area of 300m, the report said.
"The tests have shown that the new air-delivered ordnance is comparable to a nuclear weapon in its efficiency and capability," said Colonel General Alexander Rukshin, a deputy chief of the Russian military's general staff.
Unlike a nuclear weapon, the bomb does not pose an environmental threat from the release of radiation, he added.
He said the new bomb would allow the military to "protect the nation's security and confront international terrorism in any situation and any region".
The test comes at a time of heightened tension between Russia and the West.
The US angered the Kremlin with plans to station nuclear weapons near its borders as part of a new missile defence system.
Russian leaders, who have been accused of bypassing the democratic process, are widely perceived to be trying to restore the country's military clout to levels not seen since the Cold War.
Last month, President Vladimir Putin ordered a resumption of regular patrol flights of strategic bombers that had been suspended after the 1991 break-up of the Soviet Union.
Russia Tests 'The Father Of All Bombs'
The most powerful non-nuclear bomb has been successfully tested, according to Russia. See the explosion cause a mushroom cloud and a massive shockwave. It has been dubbed "the father of all bombs".
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