Vladimir Putin has said Russia fired an experimental medium-range ballistic missile at a military site in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, and that Moscow “had the right” to strike western countries that provide Kyiv with long-range weapons.
Speaking during an unannounced televised address to the nation, Putin said Russia tested the new ballistic hypersonic missile Oreshnik to strike a military facility in Dnipro.
The Russian leader said the strike on Ukraine on Thursday morning came in response to Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory with US and British missiles earlier this week.
“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,” Putin said.
Initial unconfirmed reports from Ukraine had suggested Russia had used an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM): a weapon designed for long-distance nuclear strikes and never before used in war. There was no suggestion the weapon was nuclear-armed.
Three US officials said it was an 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).
“Whether it was an ICBM or an IRBM, the range isn’t the important factor,” Fabian Hoffmann, a doctoral research fellow at Oslo University who specialises in missile technology and nuclear strategy, told Associated Press. “The fact that it carried a MIRVed [multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle] payload is much more significant for signalling purposes and is the reason Russia opted for it. This payload is exclusively associated with nuclear-capable missiles.”
Putin also issued direct threats against Britain and the US, stating: “Russia reserves the right to use weapons against targets in countries that permit their weapons to be used against Russian targets.”
He claimed that western defence systems would not be capable of intercepting Russian missiles like Oreshnik. Putin said that Russia would issue advance warnings before strikes on Ukraine and other countries to allow civilians to evacuate to safety.
While Putin has previously stated that western decisions to supply Ukraine with long-range weapons would lead Moscow to treat those nations as parties to the conflict, his warning on Thursday marked his most explicit threat yet about striking western countries.