Putin warns the West about ‘new missiles’ being fired

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that his forces’ attack on the city of Dnipro in eastern Ukraine on Thursday morning was carried out using “a new conventional medium-range missile”.

He said that the missile, codenamed Oreshnik, was a response to Ukraine’s use of long-range weapons from the US and UK to attack targets inside Russia.

Mr. Putin added that Russia can attack military facilities of countries that allow their weapons to be used for this purpose.

The US and UK authorized the use of US ATACMS missiles and UK-supplied Storm Shadow missiles this week, in a major change of policy.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia’s use of the new missile was “a clear and serious escalation in the scale and brutality of this war”.

“[This] This is further proof that Russia is not interested in peace.” he wrote on X, added: “Putin isn’t just prolonging the war – he’s spitting in the faces of those around the world who really want to restore peace.”

Previously, Mr. Zelensky said the missile had characteristics of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), even as Western officials expressed doubts about this theory.

Meanwhile, the US National Security Council said “an experimental intermediate-range ballistic missile” was used against Ukraine, adding that Russia may possess only some of these weapons and they will not be a game changer in the war.

Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh said the US was briefed “briefly” before the missile was launched through Nuclear Risk Reduction channels – which are used to exchange information on nuclear issues. Topics include missile launch announcements.

Putin said a “test” had been successfully carried out on a non-nuclear hypersonic version of the ballistic missile and “the goal was achieved”.

“In response to the use of long-range weapons by the US and UK, on ​​November 21 of this year, the Russian armed forces carried out a combined attack on one of the industrial complexes,” he said. military of Ukraine”.

There is no way to counter this weapon, which strikes its target at a speed of 10 Mach, equivalent to 2.5-3km/s, he said.

And he warned the West that Russia is “ready for any developments. If anyone still doubts this, they should not do so. There will always be a response.”

Matthew Savill, director of military science at Rusi, a think tank, said available information about the Russian missile suggested something with a longer range than the Iskander missiles used so far in the war. conflict, which has a range of up to 500 km (311 miles).

Intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBMs) – which Putin appears to have described – typically have a range of 3,000 to 5,500 km.

Savill said the use of such a weapon may not have great military significance but is symbolically important, stemming from Russia’s revised nuclear doctrine that many consider degrading threshold for using such weapons.

It was a not-so-subtle reminder, he said, that Russia has a broader arsenal of different and larger missiles and is ready to develop more.

Putin’s announcement comes as the conflict in Ukraine – which marked its 1,000th day on Tuesday – appears to be entering a new, dangerous phase.

Last Sunday, US President Joe Biden authorized Ukraine to use the Long-Range Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) to attack inside Russia, and two days later they were launched into Russia’s Bryansk region .

On Wednesday, Ukraine reportedly used British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles against Russian targets. On the same day, Biden also agreed to provide anti-personnel mines to Ukraine.

The Western moves are clearly in response to Moscow’s deployment of North Korean troops as it prepares for an offensive to push Ukrainian troops out of a small enclave they have occupied in the Kursk region. of Russia.

But they also come as Donald Trump is preparing to return to the US presidency over a period of two months.

Trump has promised to end America’s involvement in wars and instead use taxpayer money to improve the lives of Americans. He once announced that he would end the Russia-Ukraine war within 24 hours without specifying how.

Also this week Putin – seems to be reacting to these moves – has increased tensions further by relaxing the conditions for Russia’s use of nuclear weapons.

And Russia has stepped up airstrikes against Ukraine’s infrastructure, as its ground forces continue to advance in eastern Ukraine.