Putin issues chilling warning to UK and US as he confirms Russia hit Ukraine with new 'experimental' ballistic missile

21 November 2024, 18:51 | Updated: 21 November 2024, 19:16

Vladimir Putin has said that Russia used a new "intermediate-range" ballistic missile against Ukraine in response to long-range missiles being fired on its territory.

Ukraine had previously said that the missile was an intercontinental ballistic missile.

It follows Ukraine using US and UK-supplied long-range missiles, also known as storm shadow missiles, in Russian territory on Wednesday.

Russia fired its missile from a base in the south Russian city of Astrakhan early this morning, targetting critical infrastructure in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, Kyiv’s air force said.

An industrial enterprise was damaged in the attack as well as it causing two fires.

Putin said in a video message on Thursday: "Russia conducted combat tests of the 'Oreshnik' hypersonic missile system in response to the aggressive actions of NATO countries against Russia.

"In response to the use of American and British long-range weapons on 21 November of this year, the Russian armed forces launched a combined strike on one of the facilities of the military-industrial complex of Ukraine.

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"In combat conditions, one of the newest Russian medium-range missile systems was tested, among other things. In this case, with a ballistic missile in a nuclear-free hypersonic equipment."

He also issued a chilling warning that Russia could hit the military installations of any country whose weapons were used against Russia - an implicit threat against the UK and US.

Both London and Washington are thought to have allowed Kyiv to use their long-range missiles on Russian territory this week.

The Russian ambassador to the UK said this showed that the UK was directly involved in the war.

And Russian media reported on Wednesday that residents in the village of Marino, close to the city of Kursk, claimed to have found fragments of the UK-supplied Storm Shadow missiles.

A day earlier, Russia's defence ministry said Ukraine had hit the country with ATACMS missiles supplied by the US.

Five missiles were shot down and one damaged, with fragments causing a sizeable fire at a military facility in the region, it said in a statement.

Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk told LBC's Andrew Marr on Thursday that Ukraine had already used the Storm Shadow missiles - but only in internationally-recognised Ukrainian territory annexed by Russia such as Crimea.

The UK is 'acting as an aggressor' by allowing Ukraine to use British missiles, says this caller

Russia has since threatened to strike US air bases in Poland with "advanced weapons" as tensions continue to grow.

The new ballistic missile defence base in Redzikowo has been listed to a list of possible targets due to it increasing "the overall level of nuclear danger".

It opened on November 13 as part of a larger Nato missile shield.

"This is another frankly provocative step in a series of deeply destabilising actions by the Americans and their allies," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said.

She continued: "The missile defence base in Poland has been added to the list of priority targets for potential destruction which, if necessary, can be executed with a wide range of advanced weapons."

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Ukraine's air force did not specify which missile had been fired earlier on Thursday, but it followed warnings that Russia could unleash the RS-26 'Frontier' missile.

Timur Syrlanov, a Russian military analyst, said Ukraine should be "trembling" over the potential use of the rocket.

"In this situation, we will not use nuclear weapons, but the neo-Nazis and their Western allies, I think, will appreciate in the coming days the blow that will be dealt to Ukraine’s critical infrastructure and, possibly, to targets in Kyiv itself," he told Russian newspaper Moskovky Komsomolets.

"Let them tremble, be afraid, and wait for landings anywhere.

"Moreover, the enemy understands perfectly well that our weapons can reach any targets throughout Ukraine."

Until now, Russia has been using smaller Iskander missiles in Ukraine.

It comes after the US embassy in Kyiv was forced to temporarily close amid concerns of a "significant air attack".

Embassy employees were told to shelter in place if an air alert was announced on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Putin has also signed a new doctrine lowering the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons.

The doctrine said any aggression against Russia by a state which was a member of a coalition would be considered by Moscow to be aggression against it by the whole coalition.

Dmitry Medvedev, who is deputy chairman of the security council, confirmed the decision on Tuesday, tweeting: "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."