Putin orders mass production of new hypersonic missile

Good evening to everyone

Our recap article from this Friday can be read here:

Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who remained close to the Kremlin despite the war in Ukraine, called on the West on Friday not to minimize the threats from Russia, a country equipped with “the most destructive weapons in the world”. When speaking on the subject “a country like Russia, which is different from us and which bases its policy, its place in the world in general on military force”, “we must take (these threats) at face value. letter,” he said in a radio interview.

Russia, “ready for all” scenarios according to Viktor Orban, recently modified its nuclear doctrine to expand the possibility of using atomic weapons. “It’s not chatter” or “a communication ploy”, the Russian president’s words “have weight” and “there will be consequences”, said the Hungarian official.

Ukraine is asking its Western allies to provide it with new, latest-generation air defense systems after being hit the day before by a Russian hypersonic ballistic missile, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday.

“The Ukrainian Defense Minister is already in discussions with our partners on new air defense systems – precisely the kind of systems that can protect lives in the face of new risks,” Zelensky said in a statement. video message published on social networks.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday ordered the mass production and continued combat testing of the new Orechnik hypersonic ballistic missile, used the day before to strike Ukraine.

“We will continue these tests, especially in combat situations, depending on the situation and the nature of the threats to Russia's security,” he said during a meeting with military officials broadcast on the television.

Ukraine acknowledged Friday that Russian troops were advancing rapidly near Kurakhové, a hot spot in the east of the country, amid escalating tensions following Moscow's firing of a new ballistic missile and threats against the West.

In this context, a highly placed source within the Ukrainian General Staff admitted on Friday that Russian troops are advancing at “200-300 meters per day” near Kurakhové, one of the important localities which could soon to fall.

The ruble fell on Friday, reaching its lowest level against the dollar since March 24, 2022, according to official figures from the Central Bank of Russia (BCR). The Russian currency, very volatile for three years, was officially trading at 102.58 rubles against the greenback, according to the rate set by the BCR, above the symbolic threshold of 100. One euro was trading for its part against 107.43 rubles Friday.

The fall of the ruble comes the day after a Russian launch of a new generation hypersonic missile against Ukraine, following which Vladimir Putin warned the West that Russia was “ready for all” scenarios, in a conflict which took on a “global character”. A few hours later, the American government announced a series of sanctions targeting around fifty Russian banks, including Gazprombank, the financial arm of the state gas giant, Gazprom, used in particular for energy payments with foreign customers. These restrictions also apply to other small or medium-sized establishments.

“There is a significant risk that the weakening of the ruble will continue,” Yevgeni Kogan, professor at the prestigious Moscow High School of Economics, warned on Telegram.

A senior source within the Ukrainian general staff said on Friday that kyiv forces did not intend, at this stage, to withdraw from the Russian region of Kursk, which they still control, according to them. , “around 800 km2” since the beginning of August.

“We will stay (in the Russian region of) Kursk as long as it makes sense,” the source told reporters. “The maximum territory we occupied (in the region) was 1,376 km2. Today, it is around 800 km2,” she said.

Russia has only a “limited number” of Orechnik hypersonic ballistic missiles, the new weapon used Thursday in a launch on Ukraine, a source within the Ukrainian general staff said Friday.

“There are a very limited number of these missiles, a few units,” the military source told reporters.

Ukraine is awaiting “concrete” decisions against Russia at the end of Tuesday's meeting with NATO, its Foreign Minister, Andriï Sybiga, said on Friday, the day after an experimental missile launch. Russian against its territory, a first.

“We hope that (the meeting) will lead to concrete and significant results,” he said at a press conference in kyiv. The minister specified that kyiv will raise “the question of (how) to limit Russia's capacity to produce this type of weapons.”

In a statement, the Russian Defense Ministry said that units of the “Center grouping” had “liberated” Novodmytrivka, a village located about 12 kilometers north of Kurakhové.

Sweden will not allow itself to be intimidated by Vladimir Putin's “provocations” and threats aimed at the West and will continue to support Ukraine, its Defense Minister Pal Jonson said on Friday. “The recent Russian escalation and provocation is an attempt to scare us into not supporting Ukraine, and it will fail. Russia will not be able to prevent us from continuing to support Ukraine,” he said during a press briefing with his Ukrainian counterpart, Rousten Umierov.

The Kremlin said Friday it was certain that the United States, kyiv's primary military supporter, had “understood” Vladimir Putin's message in his speech the day before, claiming responsibility for the firing of a new type of missile against the Ukraine and threatening the West.

“Yesterday's speech was very, very comprehensive, clear, logical,” Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “So we have no doubt that the current administration in Washington has had the opportunity to familiarize itself with this statement and understand it,” he added.

The Ukrainian parliament canceled its session scheduled for Friday due to an increased risk of a Russian strike, several deputies indicated. “There are signals of an increased risk of attacks against the government district in the days to come,” specifies MP Yevguenia Kravchuk.

Russia's hypersonic ballistic missile launch on Ukraine constitutes “a terrible escalation” in the conflict, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz deplored on Friday, while claiming his choice of “caution” in military support for kyiv.

“We do not want to provide Ukraine with cruise missiles capable of penetrating deep into Russian territory,” reaffirmed the German head of government, stressing that in his eyes, “caution and clear support for Ukraine go hand in hand.”

Beijing called on Friday for “restraint” and “calm” to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, after the confirmed firing by Moscow of a Russian hypersonic ballistic missile. “All parties must remain calm and exercise restraint, work to defuse the situation through dialogue and consultation and create conditions for an early ceasefire,” said the Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Lin Jian, during a regular press briefing.

NATO and Ukraine will meet in Brussels on Tuesday to discuss Russia's hypersonic ballistic missile launch, AFP learned from diplomatic sources on Friday. This meeting, at the request of kyiv, will take place at the ambassadorial level.

Russia delivered anti-aircraft missiles to North Korea in exchange for sending troops, South Korea's national security director said Friday. “It has been established that anti-aircraft equipment and missiles intended to strengthen Pyonyang's vulnerable air defense system were delivered to North Korea,” said Shin Won-sik, Seoul's top security adviser.

The president of Kazakhstan, a Central Asian country allied with Russia, ordered Friday to “take urgent measures” to protect his country’s civil and military infrastructure due to the “escalation in Ukraine.” Kazakhstan had regularly called on Moscow and kyiv to negotiate to end the war “between two Slavic peoples”.

Russian strikes killed at least two people in Sumy, in northeastern Ukraine, local authorities said on Friday. This town near the Russian border was hit by “several massive explosions,” Mayor Artem Kobzar said on Telegram, specifying that an air alert remained in effect at 6 a.m. local time and asking residents to stay away from windows. According to the regional military administration, a residential area was struck by a Russian drone. Ten people were injured, according to a provisional report.

Sumy is the main city of a region of the same name, bordering several Russian regions including Kursk, where Ukraine took control of dozens of localities during a major offensive in August.