Moscow, May 21 (IANS): Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened to "knock out the teeth" of his country's opponents, in comments aimed at nations that he said were trying to steal parts of Russian territory.

Foreign enemies regularly try to snatch away Russian territories, Putin said, DPA reported citing the Interfax news agency.

"Everyone would like to 'bite' us somewhere or 'bite off' some part of us, but they should know that we knock the teeth out of those who want to do that, so they can't bite," Putin said.

The long-time ruler in the Kremlin said this was guaranteed by the progress the military has made of late.

Although a third of Russian territory was lost in the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia is still the largest country in the world in terms of area.

Russia has modernized its military in recent years, with official figures saying that more than 3 trillion roubles (more than $41 billion) will be invested in national defence this year alone.