Vladimir Putin has said Russia fired an experimental medium-range ballistic missile at a military site in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, and claimed the West’s air defence systems cannot stop their missiles.
In the early hours of this morning, Russia targeted the Ukrainian city of Dnipro with a large scale missile attack. Putin said Moscow tested the new ballistic hypersonic missile Oreshnik to strike a military facility in Dnipro.
Two videos circulating Telegram shows the strike targeted the industrial site in the south of the city. He claimed the move was in response to the UK and the US allowing Ukraine to fire British and American-made long-range missiles into Russian territory.
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He said: “The deployment of the Oreshnik system was a response to US plans to produce and deploy intermediate- and short-range missiles … In the event of an escalation, Russia will respond decisively and symmetrically.
“So Russia had conducted combat tests of the ‘Oreshnik’ hypersonic missile system in response to the aggressive actions of NATO countries against Russia.
“In combat conditions, one of the newest Russian medium-range missile systems was tested, among other things. In this case, with a ballistic missile in a nuclear-free hypersonic equipment.”
(Image: AP)
In what appears to be a veiled threat by Putin to both the UK and US, he also said he could attack military facilities in countries that have allowed Kyiv to use their missiles to strike Russia.
Attacking British or American military facilities would be a major escalation of the war, and would represent the first time Russia has deliberately launched a military attack on NATO soil since the war began in 2022.
Reports from Ukraine had suggested Russia used an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM): a weapon designed for long-distance nuclear strikes and never before used in war.
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However, officials in the US claim it was intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) with a smaller range. Intermediate-range ballistic missiles have a range of 3,000-5,500km (1,860-3,415 miles).
Putin claimed western defence systems would not be capable of intercepting Russian missiles like Oreshnik. He claimed Russia would issue advance warnings before strikes on Ukraine and other countries to allow civilians to evacuate to safety. He warned the West that Moscow could strike the military installations of any country whose weapons were used against Russia.
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