Russia has tested a new intermediate range missile in strike on Ukraine, says Putin
Vladimir Putin says Moscow has tested a new intermediate-range missile in a strike on Ukraine, a weapon he warned could be used against countries that have allowed Kyiv to use their missiles to strike Russia.
The Russian strike on Ukraine on Thursday came in response to Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory using US and British missiles earlier this week, Putin said during a nationwide TV address.
His announcement came hours after Ukraine claimed that Russia launched an intercontinental ballistic missile overnight at the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro.
According to local officials, two people were wounded in the attack, and an industrial facility and a rehabilitation centre for people with disabilities were damaged.
In his address, Putin said that Russia would issue warnings in advance if it launched more strikes with such missiles against Ukraine so as to allow civilians to evacuate to safety.
"US air defence systems wouldn’t be capable of intercepting these Russian missiles," he added.
American officials have said an initial assessment of the overnight strike indicated the strike was carried out with an intermediate-range ballistic missile.
The attack comes in a week when tensions have soared as the US eased restrictions on Ukraine’s use of American-made longer-range missiles inside Russia, while Russian President Vladimir Putin lowered the threshold for using nuclear weapons.
The Ukrainian Air Force said in a statement that the attack on Dnipro was launched from Russia’s Astrakhan region, on the Caspian Sea.
“Today, our crazy neighbour once again showed what he really is,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. “And how afraid he is.”
Earlier this week, Washington authorised Ukraine to use US-supplied, longer-range missiles to strike deeper inside Russia — a move that drew an angry response from Moscow.
According to the Kremlin, Ukraine fired several of the US Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) into Russia a day after Washington gave its permission.
On the same day as Ukraine's strike, Putin signed a new doctrine that allows for a potential nuclear response, even to a conventional attack on Russia, by any nation that is supported by a nuclear power.
US officials have said the change in the Biden administration strategy, allowing Ukraine to attack with US long-range missiles, was a response to Russia deploying North Korean troops in the conflict.