Ukraine-Russia war latest: Moscow vows to fire more ballistic missiles as Putin hints at striking West
Putin vowed to launch more intermediate-range ballistic missiles targeting Ukraine
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Your support makes all the difference.Moscow has vowed to continue testing experimental hypersonic missiles as Vladimir Putin threatened to strike the West in a coded message.
Putin warned that Russia would continue to carry out tests of the “Oreshnik” intermediate-range ballistic missiles in “combat conditions” following a devastating strike on the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro.
“We will continue these tests, including in combat conditions, depending on the situation,” the Russian leader said.
He added that Thursday’s attack was a direct response to Ukrainian forces striking Russia with US and British long-range missiles - something Moscow sees as an escalation of the conflict.
“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,” he said on Friday.
He claimed the new missile could be fitted with several conventional warheads and could be as devastating as strategic nuclear weapons.
Ukrainian air defence forces said the missile – which has a range of more than 3,400 miles and can be used to carry nuclear warheads – was fired from Russia’s Astrakhan region, on the Caspian Sea.
Despite the Kremlin’s rhetoric, Russian officials notified the United States about Thursday’s attack 30 minutes before launching the missile.
North Korea sent more conventional weapons to Russia
North Korea sent more conventional weapons to Russia, South Korea says
South Korea's spy agency says that North Korea has recently supplied additional artillery systems to Russia to support its war efforts against Ukraine
Putin orders mass production of new ballistic missile
Russian president Vladimir Putin said Russia will begin mass producing its new “Oreshnik” hypersonic ballistic missile that it fired at Ukraine on Thursday.
“There is no countermeasure to such a missile, no means of intercepting it, in the world today. And I will emphasise once again that we will continue testing this newest system,” Mr Putin said in a televised meeting on Friday.
Experts say Oreshnik may be capable of flying at nearly 10 times the speed of sound and could strike targets up to 5,500km (3,400 miles) away.
Kremlin said it used the new missile in Ukraine in response to “Western escalation”.
“It is necessary to establish serial production,” the Russian president said.
Comment: It’s not yet World War Three – but ‘World War Z’ has begun
It’s not yet World War Three – but ‘World War Z’ has begun
Joe Biden granting Ukraine permission to use Nato-supplied rockets to attack military targets within Russia is an escalation of a European conflict now past its 1,000th day – and, though it is far from being a global conflict, the West is effectively now at war with Putin’s forces, says Mark Almond
Comment: Nobody can stop the juggernaut of war – not even Putin
Nobody can stop the juggernaut of war – not even Putin
Forget Donald Trump’s ‘secret’ peace deal and internal Washington politics, let alone the Kremlin’s machinations – the war in Ukraine has taken on its own destructive dynamic, warns Mark Almond
What North Korea allegedly got in exchange for sending troops to Russia
Russia has reportedly provided air defense missile systems to North Korea in exchange for the over 10,000 troops it sent Kremlin to fight the war in Ukraine.
The missiles, seemingly anti-aircraft weapons, and other equipment were provided to help Pyongyang reinforce its air defense network, a top South Korean official said on Friday, according to the Associated Press.
However, it remains unclear what specific missiles Russia gave North Korea.
Experts suspect the deal was likely made by North Korea to bolster its air defence as the South flew drones over Pyongyang last month, scattering propaganda leaflets.
What missile did Russia use?
Ukraine’s air force initially said the missile was an intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) - the kind that Russia could hit the United States with.
But the US military later said the weapon was an intermediate-range missile (IRBM) based on the design of Russia’s longer-range RS-26 ICBM missile
The Pentagon said it was fired with a conventional warhead but Moscow could modify it if it wanted, with Russia only possessing a handful of them.
“It could be refitted to certainly carry different types of conventional or nuclear warheads,” Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said.
Putin hints at striking West in latest message
Russian president Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russia’s use of its new “Oreshnik” missile was a direct response to strikes on Russia by Ukraine using US and UK-made weapons.
In his televised meeting with Russian defence officials, Mr Putin hinted at escalating conflict warning the West to back off in a coded message.
“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,” the Russian president said.
“If anyone else doubts this, then they are wrong - there will always be a response,” he said.
Experts say the new hypersonic missile used by Russia may have the potential to be equipped with nuclear warheads and could reach as far as Europe or the west coast of the US.
“Putin is saying to the West stop - halt - back off,” former Kremlin adviser Sergei Markov told Reuters.
What we know so far about Russia's 'experimental' missile
Russia used its new missile known as “Oreshnik”, or Hazel Tree, for the first time to target Ukraine’s Dnipro city on Thursday.
Russian president Vladimir Putin said the missile was an intermediate-range weapon fired in response to Ukrainian forces striking Russia with US and British missiles.
Such weapons usually have a range of 3,000-5,500 km (1,860-3,415 miles), which means they could likely be used to launch strikes from Russia to anywhere in Europe or the western US.
President Vladimir Putin announced on Friday that Russia would continue testing its hypersonic Oreshnik missile, which was recently fired at Ukraine.
— CGTN Europe (@CGTNEurope) November 22, 2024
He also confirmed the missile would enter mass production. pic.twitter.com/H6L69SInR4
Ukraine said in a new assessment that the missile reached top speeds of over 13,000 kph (8,000 mph), taking just about 15 minutes to reach its target.
Some weapons experts say the missile appears to be capable of carrying multiple warheads with the potential to strike different targets simultaneously.
These kinds of features are usually associated with longer-range intercontinental ballistic missiles designed to carry nuclear warheads.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address that the missile’s use signified an escalation of the war, adding that his officials are holding meetings with the country’s partners to procure new air defence systems.
But not everyone is convinced about the weapon’s destructiveness.
Putin on Nov. 21 announced his country had launched a new type of missile in an attack on Ukraine, but analysts and officials have since questioned the novelty of the weapon, as well as how effective it could be to prevent allies' support of Ukraine. https://t.co/lMH2hDGKYF
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) November 22, 2024
Fabian Hoffman, a defence expert at the University of Oslo, told the Kyiv Independent that the Oreshnik missiles appear to be a redesigned version of an already existing weapon RS-26 Rubezh.
“I’d be extremely shocked if this missile system had more than 10 per cent new parts,” Mr Hoffman said.
“I think basically they just took apart the RS-26 or just cannibalized it, and then put together this new missile with a couple of upgrades, and a new paint job,” he said.
Russia says Ukraine returned 46 of its civilians originally from Kursk
The governor of Russia’s Kursk border region said on Friday that 46 Russian civilian residents of Kursk held by Ukraine had been returned to Russia following negotiations with Kyiv.
Alexei Smirnov said the civilians, including 12 children, had been moved by Ukrainian troops into Ukraine after Kyiv staged a cross-border incursion into the western Russian region of Kursk in August.
Ukraine continues to control part of the region despite Russian attempts to dislodge Kyiv’s forces.
Zelensky hits out at ‘insane neighbour’ Russia
Zelensky calls Russia ‘insane neighbour’ as it is ‘searching world for more weapons’
Volodymyr Zelensky has spoken for the first time after Russia is understood to have fired intercontinental ballistic missiles within Ukraine. In a video, shared on X on (21 November), Zelensky marked Ukraine’s Day of Dignity and Freedom, by labelling Russia an “insane neighbour” who despises “dignity and freedom”. Zelensky claimed Russia and leader Vladimir Putin are “ that terrified” of Ukraine they are “searching the world for more weapons”. Zelensky also claimed Putin is using Ukraine as a “testing ground”, before thanking those who are helping his country fight the war against Russia.
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