Russian President Vladimir Putin escalated military tensions Thursday by threatening strikes against British and American military facilities while confirming Russia had used a new hypersonic missile system against Ukraine, marking a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict.
In a televised address, Putin revealed Russian forces had tested a new intermediate-range missile system, dubbed “Oreshnik,” in strikes against Ukrainian targets. The announcement came amid Ukrainian reports of multiple missile impacts on the city of Dnipro and confusion over whether Russia had deployed an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) for the first time in combat.
“Russia considers itself entitled to use weapons against military facilities of countries that permit the use of their weapons against Russia,” Putin declared, directly responding to Ukraine’s recent deployment of U.S.-supplied ATACMS and British Storm Shadow missiles inside Russian territory. “Since this moment, as we have underscored repeatedly, the conflict in Ukraine, provoked by the West, has acquired elements of global nature.”
The Russian leader claimed the new weapon system has no existing countermeasures, warning Western nations to “seriously consider” their support for Ukraine. “If necessary, we will choose targets for destruction. There are currently no means to counter such weapons. It is impossible,” Putin said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported the “new Russian missile” achieved speeds and altitudes characteristic of ICBMs, which typically reach speeds of 13,000 mph and operate at the edge of space. While Ukraine initially claimed Russia had used an RS-26 Rubezh ICBM, Western officials cautioned the missile’s range fell short of ICBM classification.
The strikes occurred amid heightened tensions following Ukraine’s use of Western-supplied missiles against targets in Russia’s Bryansk region. Russia’s ambassador to the UK, Andrei Kelin, claimed Britain’s provision of Storm Shadow missiles made it “directly involved in this war,” though Moscow has previously made similar assertions about Western military support.
The military escalation follows Putin’s Tuesday signing of a new nuclear doctrine lowering the threshold for nuclear strikes, allowing first-strike responses to attacks by countries supported by nuclear powers. British Defence Secretary John Healey said Russia had been planning the strikes “for months.”
During the attacks on Dnipro, Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova was instructed mid-press conference not to comment on the missile strikes, highlighting the sensitivity of the operation. The incident coincided with the U.S. embassy’s closure in Kyiv over strike concerns, though British diplomatic facilities remained open.
Russian officials claimed the strikes targeted a Ukrainian missile factory, with unconfirmed footage showing multiple explosions consistent with MIRV (Multiple Independent Reentry Vehicle) warheads, a technology developed in the 1960s for nuclear delivery systems.
