By Ukraine’s parliament canceled its Friday session and heightened security around government buildings as NATO announced emergency talks following Russia’s deployment of a new ballistic missile system that President Vladimir Putin claims can evade Western air defenses.
Three Ukrainian lawmakers confirmed the parliamentary closure came in response to specific threats against government facilities in Kyiv’s center. “There was also recommendation to limit the work of all commercial offices and NGOs that remain in that perimeter, and local residents were warned of the increased threat,” said lawmaker Mykyta Poturaiev, noting similar warnings had occurred previously.
The security measures follow Russia’s Thursday launch of what Putin called the “Oreshnik” missile against a weapons facility in Dnipro. Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate reported the missile, fired from Russia’s Kapustin Yar test range, reached speeds of Mach 11 during its 15-minute flight and carried six warheads, each containing six submunitions. The Pentagon confirmed it was a new experimental weapon based on the RS-26 Rubezh ICBM.
Overnight violence continued elsewhere as Russian forces struck the city of Sumy with Shahed drones, killing two people and injuring 12 in a residential area. Regional head Volodymyr Artiukh told Suspilne media that Russia had employed a new variant of the Iranian-made drones packed with shrapnel, saying, “These weapons are used to destroy people, not to destroy objects.”
NATO announced it would hold ambassador-level emergency talks with Ukraine next Tuesday, likely focusing on the new missile threat. The escalation comes as Czech Foreign Minister Jan LipavskĂ˝ arrived in Kyiv to assess Ukraine’s response to the bombardments and discuss international aid coordination.
While parliament suspended operations, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office continued working under standard security protocols, according to a spokesperson. The heightened alert follows Putin’s warning that U.S. air defense systems would be ineffective against the new missile, which he claimed travels at ten times the speed of sound.
Ukraine’s intelligence services noted that similar missile tests were conducted at Kapustin Yar in October 2023 and June 2024, suggesting extended development of the weapon system.
