Russia hit Ukraine with new medium-range ballistic missile, says Vladimir Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday, November 21, that the conflict in Ukraine has taken a “global character”not excluding hitting countries that supplied kyiv with weapons used recently against the territory of Russia, which is “ready for everyone” the scenarios, according to him. Statements sparking worried reactions around the world.

Mr. Putin also confirmed that his forces struck Ukraine on Thursday with a new type of medium-range hypersonic missile, following a strike on the eastern city of Dnipro that did not carry a nuclear warhead.

In an address to the nation lasting less than ten minutes, Mr. Putin denounced two recent strikes carried out by Ukraine on Russian soil using American ATACMS and British Storm Shadow missiles. “From the moment when [ces missiles ont été tirés sur la Russie]and as we have repeatedly emphasized, the conflict provoked by the West in Ukraine has taken on the elements of a [conflit] of a global nature »declared the Russian president.

However, he claimed that the two Ukrainian attacks against military installations in the Russian oblasts of Bryansk and Kursk had ” failed “. “We consider ourselves within our rights to use our weapons against the military installations of countries that authorize the use of their weapons against our installations”warned Mr. Putin. “In the event of an escalation of aggressive actions, we will respond just as strongly”he added.

Russia was “ready for all” scenarios

Mr. Putin announced that in response to Western missile strikes in Russia, his forces fired on Ukraine on Thursday with a new type of hypersonic ballistic missile called “Orechnik”, which was in his “nuclear-free configuration”. This shot was aimed “a site of the Ukrainian military-industrial complex”he said.

Ukraine reported earlier in the day a strike with an unknown missile on the town of Dnipro, in the center-east of the country, which is home to the Pivdenmach group, which notably produces components for missiles.

According to Vladimir Putin, this new hypersonic missile is invincible. “There is no way today to counter such weapons. The missiles attack targets at a speed of Mach 10, or 2.5 to 3 kilometers per second. The air defense systems currently available in the world and the missile defense systems created by the Americans in Europe do not intercept these missiles. This is excluded »he insisted.

In the midst of the escalation of the conflict, Mr. Putin also assured that Russia was “ready for everyone” the scenarios, both against Ukraine and against the West. “We have always been ready, and we still are, to resolve all problems by peaceful means, but we are also ready to face any developments”he said. “If anyone still doubts it, it’s useless. There will always be an answer”he warned.

“A worrying development”

Moscow's use of a new medium-range ballistic missile is a “worrying new development”said the spokesperson for the UN Secretary General, Stéphane Dujarric, on Thursday. He called on the parties to take “urgent steps towards de-escalation to ensure the protection of civilians and critical civilian infrastructure”repeating the call of Secretary General Antonio Guterres for an end to this war in accordance with international law.

Asked also about the announcement of the United States' decision to supply antipersonnel mines to Ukraine, Mr. Dujarric noted that “our position against the use of mines anywhere in the world remains unchanged”.

The deployment of North Korean soldiers alongside Russia “game changer”said French Minister of the Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu, on Thursday, calling on Moscow not to think that Westerners “will let this pass”. “Vladimir Putin can change things by reconsidering his position on North Korea. But it’s escalatory and, obviously, we will have to fight against this escalation by all means”judged Sébastien Lecornu on the CNews channel.