The Kremlin said on Wednesday it was "genuinely alarming" that the "Doomsday Clock" had moved closer to midnight than ever and urged vigilance to prevent the risk of nuclear war.

The "Doomsday Clock," created by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists to illustrate how close humanity has come to the end of the world, on Tuesday moved its "time" in 2023 to 90 seconds to midnight, 10 seconds closer than it has been for the past three years.

The Bulletin's president cited "Russia's thinly veiled threats to use nuclear weapons" in explaining its decision.

Midnight on this clock marks the theoretical point of annihilation. (Writing by Gareth Jones)