MOSCOW -- After announcing Russia has developed new nuclear weapons, President Vladimir Putin has invited the nation to offer names for some of them -- apparently not worried by Britain's red-faced experience doing the same thing.
In 2016, the most popular choice in an online competition to name a British polar survey vessel was Boaty McBoatface. That ship was eventually christened the Sir David Attenborough in honour of the naturalist, but the goofy moniker became the name a remotely operated submarine.
The weapons for which Putin is soliciting names are no laughing matter.
One is a nuclear-powered underwater drone capable of hitting coastal areas with a powerful nuclear explosion. Another is an atomic-powered cruise missile carrying a nuclear warhead. The Defence Ministry opened the online name contest hours after Putin's Thursday speech.
