President Vladimir Putin has overseen a military drill of a “massive nuclear strike” in a chilling repeat of the exercises carried out just days before Russia invaded Ukraine.

Russian TV showed Mr Putin watching the button being pressed on missiles that were launched across the continent to simulate “retaliation for the enemy’s nuclear strike”.

It comes amid heightened fears that Russia might use nuclear weapons to revive its flagging campaign in Ukraine and the Kremlin’s recent noise over a ‘dirty bomb’.

Russia’s nuclear forces launched a Yars inter-continental ballistic missile from an area north of Moscow and a Sineva ballistic missile from the Barents Sea to a remote site in the far east in Operation Thunder.

Mr Putin was broadcast doubling down on repeated unsubstantiated claims that Ukraine intends to drop a ‘dirty bomb’ in order to blame it on Russia.

Russia conducts annual nuclear exercises and the last was carried out five days before its troops invaded Ukraine eight months ago.

The US was told about the latest drill under the terms of the New Start arms treaty. NATO is also staging nuclear exercises in western Europe involving 14 countries.

The missile launches came amid growing fears that Russia, facing setbacks on the battlefield, might try to detonate a dirty bomb to sow terror or tap its nuclear arsenal.

EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told the BBC it was a “dangerous moment” in the war because the Russian army had been “pushed into a corner”

“Putin’s reaction — threatening using nuclear arms — it’s very bad,” he said.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu reported to Mr Putin that the exercise was intended to simulate a “massive nuclear strike” launched in retaliation for a nuclear attack on Russia.

Mr Shoigu on Wednesday also called his counterparts from India and China to share Moscow’s concern about “possible Ukrainian provocations involving a ‘dirty bomb,’” according to the Russian Defence Ministry.

Mr Shoigu first made that allegation in calls with British, French, Turkish and US officials. Britain, France, and the United States rejected his claim as “transparently false.” Ukrainian authorities warned that Moscow might be preparing to use such a device in a false flag attack.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday called Russia’s unsubstantiated statements “absurd.”

“Allies reject this blatantly false accusation, and Russia must not use false pretexts to escalate the war further,” Stoltenberg told reporters at NATO headquarters in Brussels.

Australia to train Ukraine forces

Meanwhile Australia will send an extra 30 Bushmasters to Ukraine and up to 70 defence force trainers to the United Kingdom in its latest effort to prop up Kyiv.

It brings the total number of the armoured vehicles donated to Ukraine to 90.

But when and where they will be deployed, as well as how many have already landed there are being kept secret for security reasons.

The personnel will be deployed to the UK in January to join a British-led operation to train Ukrainian troops.

No Australian defence personnel will enter Ukraine.

Defence Minister Richard Marles said Australian troops joining Operation INTERFLEX would help them prepare their Ukrainian counterparts to continue the fight against Russian aggression.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australia would continue to stand up for freedom and democracy.

“This is not just about Ukraine’s sovereignty — the brave people of Ukraine are defending international law, rules and norms,” he said.

The new measures bring the value of Australia’s total support for Ukraine to $655 million, including $475m in military aid.

The additional costs will come from the defence department after Tuesday’s federal budget revealed the government will provide more than $210m to Ukraine over five years.

Mr Marles has previously warned of a protracted conflict as Ukraine pleads with western nations to not let their support wane as the war drags on.

-with AAP

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