Vladimir Putin has hailed Russia’s “unstoppable” hypersonic missiles as he threatened to strike the West in a coded message.
The Russian leader claimed there was no way of stopping the intermediate-range “Oreshnik” ballistic missile used to strike Ukraine on Thursday.
He said last week’s attack on Dnipro was a direct response to Ukrainian forces striking Russia with US and British long-range missiles.
“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,” Putin warned.
He also said: “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 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.
Key Points
- Vladimir Putin vows to launch more hypersonic ballistic missile strikes
- Putin hints at striking Western military facilities in latest message
- Nato and Kyiv plan emergency meeting next week
- Threat of global conflict is real, Polish PM warns
Zelensky calls out G20 leaders for 'weak position on war'
06:00
Vishwam Sankaran
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky criticised leaders of the Group of 20 (G20) nations for their “limited support” for Ukraine.
The Ukrainian president called out the “weak position” against Russia of the nations participating in the latest G20 summit, held last week in Brazil.
Mr Zelensky particularly criticised Lula da Silva, the president of the host nation Brazil, for his “weak position on the war”.
“If we want good, normal relations between our nations, between our peoples, then, we should probably support people first, not aggressors, leaders of aggression in the world, like Putin, like today’s modern Russia,” the Ukrainian president said on Saturday.
“Without a clear stance from major countries – the United States, Brazil, Asian and African states – agreements with Putin will amount to mere stalling tactics and further intimidation by Russia,” he said.
Putin's main goal is to 'occupy entire Donbas', Zelensky says
05:30
Vishwam Sankaran
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky suspects his Russian counterpart’s main objectives are to occupy the entire Donbas region and oust Ukraine’s troops from Kursk.
Currently, the majority of the Donbas is occupied by Russia.
“For Putin, the most important thing is to push us out of the Kursk region,” the Ukrainian president said.
“I am sure that he wants to push us out by January 20,” Mr Zelensky said, referring to the date US president-elect Donald Trump would be sworn in.
“It is very important for him [Putin] to demonstrate that he is in control of the situation,” he said.
US stirring crisis in Asia using Taiwan, Russia says
05:25
Vishwam Sankaran
Russian deputy foreign minister Andrei Rudenko said the US was using Taiwan to provoke a crisis in Asia.
China regards the island as a part of its territory.
Mr Rudenko said Washington was strengthening military and political contacts with Taipei “under the slogan” of maintaining the status quo, adding that this was in violation of the “one China” principle.
“The goal of such obvious US interference in the region’s affairs is to provoke the People’s Republic of China and generate a crisis in Asia to suit its own selfish interests,” he told Russia’s TASS news agency.
Risk of conflict spilling into Africa is real, Zelensky says
05:21
Vishwam Sankaran
The risk of the Ukraine conflict spilling into other parts of the world, including Africa, “is real”, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky warned in a post on X.
He claimed that Russian forces, like Wagner mercenaries, are already destabilising parts of Africa and “exploiting resources and fueling tensions”.
“Africa, with its vast resources and strategic importance, remains a key target for Russian exploitation,” the president said on the sidelines of an international summit on food security. “If Russia escapes this war without fair and just consequences, it will embolden them to repeat their actions elsewhere.”
“Whether through natural resources, financial gain, or political influence, the continent’s size and numerous nations make it a critical focus of Russia’s destabilizing agenda,” Mr Zelensky said.
Senior North Korean general wounded in Ukrainian strike on Kursk, Western officials say
05:00
Alexander Butler
A senior North Korean general has been wounded in a Ukrainian strike in Russia’s Kursk region, Western officials have told the Wall Street Journal.
Washington has previously warned that the 10,000 North Korean troops reportedly deployed in Kursk, where Kyiv’s forces staged an incursion in August, could be targeted by Russian forces. But the fresh claims mark the first time Western officials have said that a North Korean military officer has become a casualty.
The officials did not disclose the identity of the senior North Korean officer or how he was wounded, the outlet reports.
Zelensky says he awaits Trump's plan to end war
04:30
Vishwam Sankaran
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he is awaiting US president-elect Donald Trump’s proposals to end the war in Ukraine.
“As for when the war will end … when Russia wants this war to end. When America has a stronger position. When the Global South is on the side of Ukraine and on the side of ending the war,” Mr Zelensky said at a food security conference on Saturday.
“It will not be an easy path, but I am confident that we have every chance to do it next year,” he said.
Watch: Footage appears to show Russia’s ballistic missile hitting Ukraine
04:00
Alexander Butler
Russia ramping up use of North Korean artillery, Ukraine says
03:41
Vishwam Sankaran
Nearly a third of Russian ballistic missile attacks against Ukraine this year were of North Korean origin, according to new estimates by Ukraine, warning that Russian forces are increasingly using these weapons.
The missiles from North Korea used by Russia are reportedly powered by western-made components, despite international sanctions against both Moscow and Pyongyang.
Ukraine alleges that several Western companies, including manufacturers from the US, the Netherlands, and the UK produced these key missile components.
In addition to contributing missiles to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, North Korea has also sent more than 10,000 of its soldiers to fight on the frontline.
“All the electronics are foreign. There is nothing Korean in it,” Andriy Kulchytskyi from Kyiv’s Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise told CNN.
French foreign minister urges West not to limit support for Ukraine
03:28
Vishwam Sankaran
French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot said the country’s western allies should “not set and express red lines” about their support for Ukraine amid its escalating conflict with Russia.
Earlier this year, French president Emmanuel Macron expressed willingness to allow the country’s missiles to be fired by Ukraine into Russia.
“The principle has been set... our messages to President Zelensky have been well received,” Mr Barror told BBC.
“We do not discard any option,” he said when asked if French troops could enter combat at some point.
“Each time the Russian army progresses by one square kilometre, the threat gets one square kilometre closer to Europe,” the foreign minister said.
Putin signs law forgiving debt for new Russian army recruits
03:11
Vishwam Sankaran
Russia has signed a new law on debt forgiveness for new recruits signing up to fight in the war in Ukraine.
The law reportedly forgives up to 10 million roubles ($95,835) of debt arrears for people signing up with the country’s defence ministry to fight in Ukraine for at least a year, Reuters reported citing a Russian government website.
This latest move comes as Russia continuously attempts to recruit more soldiers into its military to fight in Ukraine by offering large payouts, sometimes many times the country’s average salary.
More than 300 port facilities damaged by Russia, Zelensky says
03:09
Vishwam Sankaran
Russia has damaged 321 port facilities and 20 foreign merchant vessels since July 2023, according to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.
Ships travelling along the Black Sea route have been at risk of being attacked by Russian forces.
Mines drifting along this trade route have also posed a heightened risk to maritime transport.
Mr Zelensky said Ukraine’s food exports, of which many rely on this route, “provide food for 400 million people in 100 countries around the world.”
“Food prices in Egypt, Libya, Nigeria, and other countries in Africa directly depend on whether farmers and agricultural companies in Ukraine can operate normally,” the Ukrainian president said at a conference on food security in Kyiv on Saturday.
UK minister to warn Nato of Russian cyber strike on Britain – report
03:05
Vishwam Sankaran
Russia could launch a wave of cyber attacks on Britain and “turn the lights off for millions of people”, a UK minister is reportedly slated to warn Nato at a conference next week.
“With a cyber attack, Russia can turn the lights off for millions of people. It can shut down the power grids,” Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden said ahead of the Nato cyber defence conference, according to The Sunday Telegraph.
“We know exactly what they are doing, and we are countering their attacks both publicly and behind the scenes,” the Labour MP said, urging allies to “not underestimate” the threat posed by Moscow in its “hidden war”.
From Poland’s ‘iron dome’ to boots on the ground: How Europe is preparing for a Third World War
03:00
Alexander Butler
Nato chief visits Trump at Mar-a-Lago
02:00
Alexander Butler
Nato general secretary Mark Rutte has travelled to Donald Trump’s 126-room gold-encrusted Mar-a-Lago estate to meet with the president-elect.
Mr Rutte met with Trump on Friday 22 November to discuss a “range of global security issues facing the Alliance”, Nato said.
He also met with US Congressman Mike Waltz and other members of the President-elect’s national security team.
During Trump’s first term, he repeatedly said he wanted out of the alliance and complained about the US paying for most of the organisation’s defence.
Trump argued he was sick of European “free-loaders” who were profiting from US protection, despite not living up to the Nato goal of spending 2 per cent of their GDP on defences.
Russia claims advance in eastern Ukraine
01:00
Alexander Butler
Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Friday that its forces had captured the settlement of Novodmytrivka in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region, their latest gain in what Defence Minister Andrei Belousov described as an accelerated advance.
Ukraine’s military made no mention of the village, north of the key town of Kurakhove. But in a late night report, the General Staff noted it was among eight villages where Russian forces were engaged in fighting and trying to advance.
How damaging could Putin’s missiles be?
Saturday 23 November 2024 23:00
Alexander Butler
While launching an intermediate-range missile is a less threatening signal, the incident could still set off alarms and Moscow notified Washington briefly ahead of the launch, according to US officials.
The Kremlin said Russia had not been technically obliged to warn the United States about the strike because the missile used had been intermediate-range rather than intercontinental, but added that Moscow had informed the U.S. 30 minutes before the launch anyway.
Russian military expert Anatoly Matviychuk said it could carry six to eight conventional or nuclear warheads, and was probably already in service.
Putin said the missile travelled at 10 times the speed of sound [Mach 10] and so could not be intercepted, with Russian sources saying the range was 3,1000 miles.
It also appeared to have multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles: separate warheads able to hit different targets.
“The flight time of this Russian missile from the moment of its launch in the Astrakhan region to its impact in the city of Dnipro was 15 minutes,” Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR) said in a statement on Friday.
“The missile was equipped with six warheads: each equipped with six submunitions. The speed at the final part of the trajectory was over Mach 11.”
HUR added that the weapon was “likely from the ‘Kedr’ missile complex.” Kedr is a Russian ICBM missile programme, which also contains a number of other ballistic missile projects.
What is Russia’s ballistic missile?
Saturday 23 November 2024 22:00
Alexander Butler
Ukraine’s air force initially said the missile was an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) - the kind that Russia could hit the United States with.
But the US military later said the weapon was an intermediate-range missile 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.
Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed on Friday that all of the missile’s warheads had hit their targets and hailed what it said was its first successful use of an intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile with conventional warheads in combat.
This is no time to surrender to Putin’s rockets – still less his words
Saturday 23 November 2024 21:00
Alexander Butler
Nobody can stop the juggernaut of war – not even Putin
Saturday 23 November 2024 20:00
Alexander Butler
It’s not yet World War Three – but ‘World War Z’ has begun
Saturday 23 November 2024 19:00
Alexander Butler
‘Elite’ Russian units becoming ‘obsolete’ due to Putin’s strategy in Ukraine, war analysts say
Saturday 23 November 2024 18:00
Alexander Butler
What is the Storm Shadow cruise missile?
Saturday 23 November 2024 17:00
Alexander Butler
Threat of world war is ‘serious and real’ Poland says as Putin steps up threats against West
Saturday 23 November 2024 15:54
Alexander Butler
Russian strikes have damaged 321 Ukrainian port infrastructure facilities, Zelensky says
Saturday 23 November 2024 15:02
Alexander Butler
Russian drone and missile attacks damaged 321 Ukrainian port infrastructure facilities from July 2023 up to now, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday.
He said that 20 civilian ships of other countries were also damaged by Russian strikes.
Russia claims advance in eastern Ukraine
Saturday 23 November 2024 14:30
Alexander Butler
Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Friday that its forces had captured the settlement of Novodmytrivka in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region, their latest gain in what Defence Minister Andrei Belousov described as an accelerated advance.
Ukraine’s military made no mention of the village, north of the key town of Kurakhove. But in a late night report, the General Staff noted it was among eight villages where Russian forces were engaged in fighting and trying to advance.
North Korean General becomes first high-ranking military official injured in Ukraine
Saturday 23 November 2024 14:00
Alexander Butler
What do we know about Putin’s ‘experimental’ ballistic missile?
Saturday 23 November 2024 13:27
Alexander Butler
The week that upped the stakes of the Ukraine war
Saturday 23 November 2024 13:08
Alexander Butler
Ukraine has lost over 40 per cent of Russia’s Kursk region
Saturday 23 November 2024 12:35
Alexander Butler
Ukraine has lost over 40 per cent of the territory in Russia’s Kursk region that it rapidly seized in a surprise incursion in August as Russian forces have mounted waves of counter-assaults, a senior Ukrainian military source said.
The source, who is on Ukraine’s General Staff, said Russia had deployed some 59,000 troops to the Kursk region since Kyiv’s forces swept in and advanced swiftly, catching Moscow unprepared 2-1/2 years into its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
“At most, we controlled about 1,376 square kilometres (531 square miles), now of course this territory is smaller. The enemy is increasing its counterattacks,” the source said.
“Now we control approximately 800 square kilometres (309 square miles). We will hold this territory for as long as is militarily appropriate.”
Nato chief visits Trump at Mar-a-Lago
Saturday 23 November 2024 12:00
Alexander Butler
Nato general secretary Mark Rutte has travelled to Donald Trump’s 126-room gold-encrusted Mar-a-Lago estate to meet with the president-elect.
Mr Rutte met with Trump on Friday 22 November to discuss a “range of global security issues facing the Alliance”, Nato said.
He also met with US Congressman Mike Waltz and other members of the President-elect’s national security team.
During Trump’s first term, he repeatedly said he wanted out of the alliance and complained about the US paying for most of the organisation’s defence.
Trump argued he was sick of European “free-loaders” who were profiting from US protection, despite not living up to the Nato goal of spending 2 per cent of their GDP on defences.
This is no time to surrender to Putin’s rockets – still less his words
Saturday 23 November 2024 10:51
Alexander Butler
Russia claims advance in eastern Ukraine
Saturday 23 November 2024 10:17
Alexander Butler
Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Friday that its forces had captured the settlement of Novodmytrivka in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region, their latest gain in what Defence Minister Andrei Belousov described as an accelerated advance.
Ukraine’s military made no mention of the village, north of the key town of Kurakhove. But in a late night report, the General Staff noted it was among eight villages where Russian forces were engaged in fighting and trying to advance.
From Poland’s ‘iron dome’ to boots on the ground: How Europe is preparing for a Third World War
Saturday 23 November 2024 09:27
Andy Gregory
More than 900 miles from London, frenetic activity is underway in the countryside of Poland, Finland, and the Baltic States: bulldozers and diggers are constructing field defences. Anti-tank ditches, tank traps, and pillboxes are being built and installed. In all these countries, laying minefields – even controversial anti-personnel minefields – is under active consideration.
Poland is spending at least €2.5bn (£2.1bn) on its border defence system, including building a sky shield system akin to Israel’s “Iron Dome” to protect its eastern border from a growing threat from Russia.
Meanwhile, in response to the “hybrid war” tactics on several Baltic fronts, hundreds of millions of euros are being invested by the Baltic states to strengthen their defence lines with another major project, planned by Nato members Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, set to begin in 2025.
And what is the UK’s response to an increasing global threat? The country is scrapping £500m worth of military equipment – ships, drones, and helicopters – and will conduct a strategic defence review to decide what to do next.
Francis Tusa has more analysis here:
Listen: Starmer denies UK at war after Ukraine fires British Storm Shadow missiles into Russia
Saturday 23 November 2024 09:08
Andy Gregory
Senior North Korean general wounded in Ukrainian strike on Kursk, Western officials say
Saturday 23 November 2024 08:49
Andy Gregory
A senior North Korean general has been wounded in a Ukrainian strike in Russia’s Kursk region, Western officials have told the Wall Street Journal.
Washington has previously warned that the 10,000 North Korean troops reportedly deployed in Kursk, where Kyiv’s forces staged an incursion in August, could be targeted by Russian forces. But the fresh claims mark the first time Western officials have said that a North Korean military officer has become a casualty.
The officials did not disclose the identity of the senior North Korean officer or how he was wounded, the outlet reports.
Trump’s ‘favoured Ukraine envoy’ says Medvedev’s World War 3 warning ‘not getting enough coverage'
Saturday 23 November 2024 08:30
Andy Gregory
Former US-Germany ambassador Richard Grenell, who Reuters reports is Donald Trump’s favoured pick for a new Ukraine war envoy post, has warned that the US media is not giving enough coverage to former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev’s claims over the prospect of World War 3.
In an insight into Mr Grenell’s thinking on the war, as reports suggest he could be tasked with playing a major role in Mr Trump’s efforts to bring the conflict to a rapid pause, he has appeared critical of outgoing US president Joe Biden’s authorisation of allowing Kyiv to strike Russian territory with US missiles.
In one post on X, he said: “Joe Biden authorizes Ukraine to launch missiles inside Russia - and then orders an evacuation of the U.S. Embassy in Kiev. Infuriating. Biden can’t even pick up the phone to speak to Putin.”
In another post, Mr Grenell shared a claim by Mr Medvedev, in which the Russian hawk said: “Russia’s new nuclear doctrine means Nato missiles fired against our country could be deemed an attack by the bloc on Russia. Russia could retaliate with WMD against Kiev and key Nato facilities, wherever they’re located. That means World War III.”
Mr Grenell wrote: “This isn’t getting enough media coverage in America.”
Trump considering ex-intelligence chief Richard Grenell for Ukraine envoy, sources say
Saturday 23 November 2024 08:12
Andy Gregory
Donald Trump is considering tapping his former intelligence chief Richard Grenell to hold a new role of US special envoy for the Russia-Ukraine conflict, four sources familiar with the White House transition plans have told Reuters.
Mr Grenell, who served as ambassador to Germany and was acting director of national intelligence during Trump’s 2017-2021 term, campaigned for Mr Trump in the lead up to the US election, was a top contender to be secretary of state – but was ultimately passed over for senator Marco Rubio.
While there is currently no special envoy dedicated solely to resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Mr Trump is considering creating the role, according to the four sources.
Mr Grenell’s supporters note he has had a long diplomatic career and has a deep knowledge of European affairs. In addition to serving as ambassador to Germany, Grenell was also a special presidential envoy for Serbia and Kosovo peace negotiations.
In remarks that will worry Kyiv, Mr Grenfell advocated in July for the creation of “autonomous zones” as a means of settling the conflict, and has also suggested he would not be in favour of Ukraine joining Nato in the immediate future, a position he shares with many Trump allies.
Russia’s claim of emissions in annexed Ukraine regions draws protests at COP29
Saturday 23 November 2024 07:30
Andy Gregory
Russia has included occupied Ukrainian territories in its recent greenhouse gas inventory report to the United Nations, sparking fury among Ukrainian officials and activists at the Cop29 climate summit.
“We see that Russia is using international platforms to legalise their actions, to legalise their occupation of our territory,” Ukraine’s deputy environment minister Olga Yukhymchuk told Reuters, adding that Kyiv is in touch with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to resolve the dispute.
In its 2022 annual report of greenhouse gas emissions, Russia claimed it could only provide data for 85 out of 89 of its territories “due to the absence of baseline data on land use for the territories of the Donetsk People’s Republic, Luhansk People’s Republic, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, annexed in September 2022”.
Russia had previously included emissions from Ukraine’s Crimea region, annexed in 2014, in its recent reporting submissions to the UNFCCC.
Ukrainian environment minister Svitlana Grynchuk raised the issue in a speech to delegates at the Cop29 summit earlier this week, saying Russia’s reporting on Ukraine territories undermines the integrity of global climate efforts.
Warning of the risk of double-counting emissions in territories that together exceed the size of Portugal and Azerbaijan, Ms Grynchuk said: “It will bring us to a point that we do not achieve any of our goals if we don’t have proper reporting under the Paris Agreement.”
Breakthrough UN treaty on crimes against humanity moves forward – despite Russian stalling
Saturday 23 November 2024 07:23
Andy Gregory
A key UN General Assembly committee has adopted a resolution paving the way for negotiations on the first-ever treaty on preventing and punishing crimes against humanity – after Russia dropped amendments that would have derailed the effort.
The resolution – which marks the first ever global treaty on punishing crimes against humanity – was approved by consensus by the assembly’s legal committee, which includes all 193-member UN nations, after tense last-minute negotiations between its supporters and Russia that dragged through the day.
There was loud applause when the chairman of the committee gaveled the resolution’s approval. It is nearly certain to be adopted when the General Assembly puts it to a final vote on 4 December.
“Today’s agreement to start up negotiations on a much-needed international treaty is an historic achievement that was a long time coming,” Richard Dicker, Human Rights Watch’s senior legal adviser for advocacy, told The Associated Press.
“It sends a crucial message that impunity for the kinds of crimes inflicted on civilians in Ethiopia, Sudan, Ukraine, southern Israel, Gaza and Myanmar will not go unheeded,” he said.
Russia’s deputy UN ambassador Maria Zabolotskaya said Russia withdrew the amendments “in a spirit of compromise.” But she said Russia “dissociates itself from consensus.”
Russia is secretly developing a petrifying new weapon
Saturday 23 November 2024 07:00
Alexander Butler
North Korea sent more conventional weapons to Russia
Saturday 23 November 2024 06:30
Alexander Butler
Putin orders mass production of new ballistic missile
Saturday 23 November 2024 06:21
Vishwam Sankaran
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
Saturday 23 November 2024 06:00
Alexander Butler
Comment: Nobody can stop the juggernaut of war – not even Putin
Saturday 23 November 2024 05:30
Alexander Butler
What North Korea allegedly got in exchange for sending troops to Russia
Saturday 23 November 2024 05:27
Vishwam Sankaran
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?
Saturday 23 November 2024 05:00
Alexander Butler
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
Saturday 23 November 2024 04:57
Vishwam Sankaran
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
Saturday 23 November 2024 04:55
Vishwam Sankaran
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.
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.
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
Saturday 23 November 2024 04:30
Alexander Butler
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
Saturday 23 November 2024 04:00
Alexander Butler
Top US official warns of growing Russia-China ties
Saturday 23 November 2024 03:49
Vishwam Sankaran
US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell has warned that the growing Russia-China partnership could have a deep impact on the Ukraine war.
Mr Campbell said Russian president Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping have “chosen each other” with China supporting Russia’s defence industry.
He said the strategic partnership is “animating itself in a number of ways that are going to be deeply concerning”.
“China has believed that the United States is in hurtling decline, and they are determined to try to take steps to replace many elements of American power,” the envoy said, according to SCMP.
Ukraine seeks advanced air defence systems after Russian 'experimental' missile attacks
Saturday 23 November 2024 03:37
Vishwam Sankaran
Ukraine has begun talks with its partners about securing advanced air defense systems after Russia hit the Ukrainian city of Dnipro with an experimental missile.
Experts have determined that the new missile can carry multiple warheads with the potential to strike different targets simultaneously, reaching a top speed of over 13,000 kph, or 8,000 mph.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has reportedly directed Defense Minister Rustem Umerov to engage with the country’s partners on acquiring advanced air defense systems.
