Russia’s President Vladimir Putin announced on television that Russia had escalated the war in Ukraine, which has been going on for 1,000 days, by launching a medium-range non-nuclear ballistic missile on Thursday into Ukraine’s Dnipro region.
The US and Western officials have stated that the ballistic missile may have carried multiple warheads, which could be a first in war.
The head of the Dnipro military administration had previously stated that the attack resulted in the injuries of at least three people. Buildings were also damaged.
“The Russian armed forces conducted a joint strike on one of the Ukrainian defense industry’s facilities in response to the deployment of American and British long-range weapons on November 21.” Putin made this claim in a televised statement on Thursday.
Putin also claimed that one of the most recent Russian medium-range missile systems was tested in combat conditions, seemingly in reference to the Dnipro strike. Our missilemen named it ‘Oreshnik’. Tests were executed successfully. We successfully accomplished the launch’s objective.”
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky called Russia’s new missile “a clear and severe escalation in the scale and brutality of this war.”
A post on X on Thursday accused Russia of a cynical violation of the UN Charter and taking a second step toward escalation, adding that North Korean troops were already involved.
Volodymyr Zelensky, president of Ukraine, characterized Putin’s use of new missiles as proof that he is “so afraid.”
