Russian President Vladimir Putin says Russia has fired a new medium-range missile at Ukraine. It was a test launch.
Photo: The Kremlin / Wikipedia
He warns that Russia could use the same missiles against the countries that have allowed the Ukrainian military to fire long-range missiles at Russian soil, which are Britain and the United States.
Putin says that Russia will in future warn Ukrainians before the new missiles are used again, to give civilians a chance to escape.
This was stated in the president's speech when he addressed the Russian nation.
Russia fired a long-range missile at Ukraine on November 21.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the "new Russian" missile resembles so-called ICBM missiles, long-range missiles with the ability to carry nuclear weapons between continents.The missile did not contain a nuclear warhead, according to a source within the Ukrainian Air Force.
The Ukrainian government said the missile had hit infrastructure in the eastern city of Dnipro. However, it is not clear how extensive the damage is.
An Air Force source said this was the first time that Russia has used such weapons since the invasion of Ukraine, which can hit targets thousands of kilometers away.
Putin said the attack this morning was a response to an attack by Ukraine earlier this week in which long-range missiles from the United Kingdom and the United States were used against Russia.
The British government said Russia had fired a so-called missile with the ability to travel several thousand kilometers towards Ukraine.
“This is another example of reckless behavior by Russia, which only reinforces our belief in the importance of standing by the Ukrainian people for as long as necessary,” a spokesman for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told reporters.
Starmer’s spokesman said the missile was long-range, capable of flying several thousand kilometers, but did not describe it as a missile with a range between continents.
US President Joe Biden recently authorized the Ukrainian military to use powerful US long-range missiles, or ATACMS weapons systems, on Russian soil. Some US officials believed that using the system would lead to an escalation of the war.
The decision was made after Russia sent nearly 50,000 troops to the Kursk region in southern Russia. Ukrainians launched an invasion of the region this summer.
Thousands of North Korean troops [not confirmed by reliable sources - ed.] have also been deployed to the region on the Russian side.
Biden and his advisers are concerned that North Korea's involvement could trigger a new phase in the war.
Source: mbl.is
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