Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that an attack by his forces on the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Thursday morning was carried out using “a new conventional intermediate-range missile”.
He said that the missile, codenamed Oreshnik, was a response to the use by Ukraine of US and UK long-range weaponry to hit targets inside Russia.
Putin added that Russia could attack military facilities of those countries which allowed their weapons to be used for this purpose.
A US official revealed that the warning about the ballistic missile strike on Ukraine was delivered “through nuclear risk reduction channels”.The official added that in recent days, the US had informed Ukraine and other close allies that Moscow might launch an experimental medium-range ballistic missile.
President Vladimir Putin declared Thursday that the Ukraine conflict is escalating into a global confrontation, accusing the West of provoking the situation by supplying Kyiv with advanced weapons. In a televised address, Putin warned of decisive retaliation and revealed Russia had tested a new medium-range hypersonic missile in response to recent Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory.
Putin said, had responded to the use of U.S. and British missiles by firing a new kind of hypersonic medium-range ballistic missile at a Ukrainian military facility. More could follow, Putin warned. He said civilians would be warned ahead of further strikes with such weapons.
After approval from the administration of President Joe Biden, Ukraine struck Russia with six U.S.-made ATACMS on Nov. 19 and with British Storm Shadow missiles and U.S.-made HIMARS on Nov. 21, Putin said.
“From that moment, as we have repeatedly underscored, a regional conflict in Ukraine previously provoked by the West has acquired elements of a global character,” Putin said in an address to the nation carried by state television after 8 pm Moscow time (1700 GMT).
The United States, Putin said, was pushing the world towards a global conflict.
“And in case of escalation of aggressive actions, we will also respond decisively and in a mirror manner,” he said.
Putin said the Ukrainian missile attack with ATACMS had failed to inflict any serious damage. But the Storm Shadow attack on Kursk region on Nov. 21 had been directed at a command point and led to deaths and injuries, Putin said.
“The use by the enemy of such weapons is not able to change the course of the military actions in the zone of the special military operation.
“We consider ourselves entitled to use our weapons against the military facilities of those countries that allow their weapons to be used against our facilities.
“If anyone else doubts this, then they are wrong – there will always be a response.”