Russia used a new hypersonic missile in Ukraine, Putin said. And he threatened other countries as well

According to Putin, the use of a hypersonic ballistic missile against Ukrainian military equipment is a reaction to the actions of the West, which, according to him, is escalating the conflict in Ukraine by allowing Kiev to hit Russia with long-range missiles. According to him, the war thus becomes a global conflict. Putin called the use of the Oresnik missile in Ukraine a “test”.

“The tests were successful, the goal was met. On the territory of Ukraine, in the city of Dnepropetrovsk (Ukrainian Dnipro – editor’s note), one of the largest industrial complexes known from the time of the Soviet Union, which still produces rocket technology and other weapons today, was hit,” says Putin in his speech.

On Thursday, the Ukrainian Air Force reported on the Russian air attack on the Dnipro, stating that Moscow used an intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time in the war. According to Kyiv, it was a RS-26 Rubez type. “It had all the characteristics – speed, height – of an intercontinental ballistic missile,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said.

However, it is likely that in reality it was the attack of the medium-range hypersonic missile Orešnik, which Putin later talked about. Several warheads that hit targets in the Dnipro were carried by a single rocket, Forbes magazine wrote, stating that an industrial complex, a medical rehabilitation center, houses and garages were hit. Several people were injured.

In a later statement, Zelensky called on his allies to respond to the use of the “new ballistic missile”. “At this moment there is no strong reaction. Putin is very sensitive to this. They are testing you, dear partners,” said the Ukrainian president on the X network.

Now, according to the Reuters agency, Putin has also warned that Moscow could use the Oresnik missile against military targets in countries that allow the Ukrainians to fire supplied missiles at Russia.

“I recommend that the ruling elites of those countries that are preparing plans to use their military contingents against Russia seriously think about it,” Putin said.

Former Russian President and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev also spoke. “That’s what you wanted? There you have it! An attack with a hypersonic missile,” Medvedev, the current chairman of the ruling United Russia party and deputy chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, wrote on the X social network, which is banned in Russia.

The Russian Ministry of Defense announced two days ago that Ukrainian troops launched an attack on the Bryansk region in western Russia with six American ATACMS missiles. According to the media, it was the first time that Ukraine used Western weapons against targets deep in Russian territory. A day later, according to the media, Ukraine also used Storm Shadow cruise missiles supplied by Britain on targets in Russia.

Shortly before the medium-range experimental missile attack on the Dnipro, the Russians informed the United States through channels used to reduce the nuclear risk. “The US was notified shortly before the (missile) launch,” said an unnamed US official. According to him, the US provided information to Ukraine and close allies to help prepare for the possible use of a medium-range missile. Russia probably has only a handful of these experimental missiles, he added.