Vladimir Putin has now stated that Russia fired an experimental medium-range ballistic missile against a military station in the city of Dnipro, which is located in Ukraine.
He also stated that Moscow “had the right” to hit western countries who supply Ukraine with long-range weapons.
During a televised address to the country that was not disclosed in advance, Vladimir Putin stated that Russia conducted a test of the new ballistic hypersonic missile Oreshnik with the intention of hitting a military base located in Dnipro.
“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 warned.
As a retaliation to Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory earlier this week using missiles from the United States and the United Kingdom, the Russian leader stated that the attack on Ukraine that took place on Thursday morning was carried out.
Vladimir Putin issued a warning to the Western world that Moscow may launch attacks against the military infrastructure of any nation that has deployed its weapons against Russia, which includes both the U.K. and the United States.
Putin also stated that the outcome of Russia’s “special operation” will not be altered by the use of Western weaponry in strikes against Russia.
The initial reports from Ukraine, which were not validated, stated that Russia had launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which is a weapon that was built for long-distance nuclear strikes and had never been utilized in a major conflict before.
There were no indications that the weapon was armed with nuclear weapons.
According to officials from the United States, the weapon was an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) with a relatively shorter range.
3,000 to 5,500 kilometers (1,860-3,415 miles) is the range of ballistic missiles that are classified as intermediate-range.
Putin also asserted that western defense systems would not be able to successfully intercept Russian missiles such as the Oreshnik.
Putin also said that Russia will provide advance warnings before to any attacks on Ukraine or other nations in order to provide civilians with the opportunity to evacuate to safer locations.
In the past, Vladimir Putin has indicated that if western nations were to decide to provide Ukraine with long-range weaponry, Moscow would treat such countries as if they were parties to the conflict.
However, the warning that he issued on Thursday was his most clear threat to date regarding the threat of escalation if NATO countries, led by US President Joe Biden continue their provocations.
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