Photos: How Russian president Vladimir Putin is celebrating his 68th birthday today

The Russian military staged an extraordinary 68th birthday present for Vladimir Putin today with a 'successful' test launch of his new-age 6,000 mph hypersonic Zircon missile.

The Zircon - or Tsirkon - with its Mach 8 missile has been identified by Moscow's state-controlled TV as Putin's weapon of choice to wipe out American cities in the event of nuclear war. Putin called the launch 'a great event not only in the life of the Armed Forces, but also in the whole of Russia'. 

The deadly missile is 'the newest, truly unparalleled weapon system in the world' ensuring 'the defence capability of our state'.