Vladimir Putin has threatened the UK with strikes from a “new” kind of missile – as Russia warned Britain it was now “directly involved” in the war.
It comes in a week where Russia has repeatedly stoked fears that the war could extend beyond Ukraine – dragging Western allies including the UK in to the fighting.
And last night the country’s UK ambassador Andrei Kelin warned supplying Ukraine with longer-range missiles to fire across the border meant Britain was “directly involved” in the conflict.
Asked if the move had brought Britain into the war, Mr Kelin told Sky News: “Absolutely, Britain and UK is now directly involved in this war, because this firing cannot happen without NATO staff, British staff as well.”
Although it was armed with a conventional warhead, the use of a new “intermediate range” missile in an attack on the central city of Dnipro will be seen as a warning from Putin that it holds the world ’s largest nuclear arsenal.
Early reports suggested an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) – of the kind designed to carry a nuclear payload – had been used in the strike.
It would have represented the first use in history of such long-range weapons – which can hit targets more than 3,400 miles away from the launch site, far beyond what is needed to reach into Ukraine.
But the Kremlin confirmed it was not an ICBM, but a new weapon codenamed, codenamed Oreshnik – or Hazel in English.
Putin said in a nationwide TV address that the Russian strike on Ukraine on Thursday came in response to Ukrainian strikes on the Russian territory with US and British missiles earlier this week.
And he warned western allies who supplied the missiles that their military bases could be targeted with Oreshnik missiles.
“We believe that we have the right to use our weapons against military facilities of the countries that allow to use their weapons against our facilities,” he said.
“And in case of escalation of aggressive actions, we will respond resolutely in a mirror way.”
Putin said Russia would issue advance warnings before strikes on other countries to allow civilians to evacuate to safety.
And he warned US air defense systems wouldn’t be capable of intercepting Russian missiles.
Two people were wounded in the Oreshnik attack, and an industrial facility and a rehabilitation center for people with disabilities were damaged, according to local officials.
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Russian Defence Ministry/AFP via)
It was launched from Russia’s Astrakhan region, on the Caspian Sea – around 435 miles from the target.
Keir Starmer ’s spokesman said initial reports of the attack were “deeply concerning.”
“If true, clearly this would be another example of grave, reckless and escalatory behavior from Russia and only serves to strengthen our resolve,” he said.
The Russian Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said in a statement that its air defense systems shot down two British-made Storm Shadow missiles, six HIMARS rockets, and 67 drones.
The statement didn’t say when or where the Storm Shadows were shot down or what they were targeting. Russia earlier reported downing some of the missiles over the illegally annexed Crimean Peninsula.
In September, Putin warned lifting restrictions on the use of Storm Shadows and ATACMS would mean NATO countries would be at war with Russia.
He said: “’If this decision is made, it will mean nothing less than the direct participation of Nato countries, the United States, and European countries in the war in Ukraine.’
That would mean they were “fighting Russia”, he added.
On Tuesday, Putin signed a new doctrine lowering the threshold for using nuclear weapons.
Should we be scared Putin’s escalation could lead to nuclear war?
By ANTHONY GLEES, Professor and security expert, Buckingham University
On Thursday morning, Ukrainian military intelligence said that within the massive barrage of missiles and drones that Putin had a few hours before lobbed at the eastern city of Dnipro, he’d added, for good measure, an inter-continental ballistic missile or ICBM.
ICBMs have a long range of 5,500 kms and can carry the most lethal warheads known to man: nuclear, chemical and biological.
An ICBM fired at Ukraine would in theory represent a dangerous escalation of Putin’s aggressive war, even (as was almost immediately clear this morning) it had no nuclear or biochem warhead.
Actually, it would be a waste of an ICBM were it used against any target in Ukraine, even if (as claimed in this case) it was fired from 1,200 kms away, in Astrakhan in Russia not another continent away. It might however threaten to unnerve us, far further away to the West.
In fact, we are now told by US and UK intelligence that the missile in question was _not_ an ICBM but a new Russian intermediate range missile. Zelensky later said the missile was ‘of a new type, one we’ve been tracking’ but not necessarily an ICBM. However, it was an escalation for sure.
So should we now be scared that Putin’s further escalation could lead to a nuclear war with Russia and World War Three?
No, of course not.
Every bully gets high on fear, including the worst one around, hiding in the Kremlin. But bullies are always cowards, as Putin himself is, ducking and weaving and hiding behind wordplay and tedious threats.
Putin is now hell-bent on destroying the morale of the Ukrainians forces, and grabbing as much territory from Ukraine as he can, before the hard winter sets in, and Donald J Trump returns to the White House to make peace, as he has said, in 24 hours. However he is not going to blow himself up by playing around with nukes.
Putin knows Trump’s offer is an end to the fighting in return for the Ukrainians giving him, in perpetuity, the territory he has stolen from them, gaining a ban on Ukraine joining NATO for 25 years. The Ukrainians, Trump’s advisers suggest, will get ‘sovereignty’ in return. This would be a huge win for Putin.
This means nothing. Having been given 25% of Ukrainian lands, Putin will being to chisel away at what remains.
Only one thing can put him back in his miserable box: our superior strength. This is precisely what we are demonstrating we possess when he give the ‘go’ signal for ATACs, Storm Shadows and Scalps.
This is not making Putin more dangerous, it is clipping his wings. Letting Putin win is the far greater threat to world peace.
Our Defence Minister John Healey has said we must now double down in our support for brave Ukraine. He could not be more right. Let Putin have it, with both barrels.
Putin’s psychological warfare is preparing the Russian people for war beyond Ukraine
By BRUCE JONES, Russian intelligence expert
Vladimir Putin is carrying out a war of words.
He’s “priming” Russian citizens with a barrage of anti-western messaging – warning of hostile western intentions and operations.
And his aim is to justify any form of hostile action or operation against the West.
As Ukraine begins strikes with western missiles against Russia, Kremlin backed media is accusing the country’s allies of ramping up the war – particularly the US and the United Kingdom.
Meanwhile overnight, following days of escalation in the conflict, Kiev accused Russia of firing an RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), for the first time, since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of the country which began in February 2022.
After hours of growing tension – Putin confirmed it was not an ICBM, but a new kind of “intermediate range” missile.
But Ukrainian officials believe missile was launched for propaganda reasons.
Russia’s Embassy in the UK has urged Britain not to push forward the escalation of war.
“British hawks are now trying to add fuel to the fire by advocating for new rounds of escalation,” a statement posted on Telegram said – with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov saying Ukraine’s use of US ATACMS missiles in the Bryansk region indicates its desire to escalate the conflict.
And Vladimir Putin has warned that Ukraine gaining long-range missile capability “will mean that NATO countries, the United States, and European countries are at war with Russia,” and “appropriate action” will be taken. “
“A new escalation is taking place in Ukraine. This is an extremely irresponsible position taken by the outgoing American administration,” the Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said.
According to Peskov, the Biden White House continues to “add fuel to the fire” by preventing steps to end the conflict. He also pointed out that Washington is using Ukraine as “its instrument for waging war on Russia.”
He stressed that “responsibility for prolonging the conflict” lies with Ukraine’s allies, especially Britain.
Putin’s psychological warfare is intended to motivate Russian citizens to be prepared for a war beyond Ukraine – and if necessary to take part.