5 outrageous projects Russia's military says it's working on

Since President Vladimir Putin was ushered into power in 2000, the Russian defense industry has certainly rekindled, but it also has steadily spewed out unsubstantiated and rather ludicrous plans about future weapons.

In 2015, for example, the Kremlin claimed it would build tanks armed with lasers, and in 2016, it was a space-based missile defense system.

There are probably a number of reasons why these half-truths, exaggerations and downright lies continue to be spread.

"National pride and the cult of patriotism that surrounds Putin and his cohorts," are some of the main ones, according to The National Interest. Part of it could also be a public relations ploy - an attempt to re-legitimize Russia's weapons industry to prospective purchasers.

Whatever the reasons, there have been at least five such doozies in the last few months.

Check them out below.