NATO and Ukraine will hold urgent talks on Tuesday after Russia launched an experimental hypersonic ballistic missile strike on the city of Dnipro, escalating the nearly 33-month-long war.
The conflict is “entering a decisive phase” and “taking on very dramatic dimensions,” said Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Friday.
The Ukrainian Parliament canceled a session while security measures were tightened following the Russian attack on Thursday on a military facility in Dnipro.
In a stern warning to the West, President Vladimir Putin said in a national television address that the medium-range missile strike, named “Oreshnik,” was in retaliation for Ukraine’s use of American and British long-range missiles capable of striking deeper into Russian territory.
Putin said that Western air defense systems would be powerless against the new Russian missile.
Ukrainian military officials stated that the missile that hit the city of Dnipro reached a speed of 13,000 kilometers per hour and had six non-nuclear warheads.
Speaking on Friday with military industry officials, Russian President Putin announced that Russia is beginning the production of the “Oreshnik” missiles.
“No one in the world has weapons like these,” he said. “Sooner or later, other countries will acquire them. We are aware that they are still in development.”
However, he added, “we have this system now. And that is important.”
He further stated that missile testing would continue, “including in combat, depending on the situation and the security threats posed to Russia,” pointing out that there is “a reserve of such systems ready for use.”
Although not an intercontinental missile, Putin claimed that its destructive effect is similar to that of strategic or even nuclear weapons.
Meanwhile, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský arrived for a visit to Kyiv. He posted a photo from Kyiv’s train station on the social media platform X on Friday morning.
“I want to understand the situation of the Ukrainians facing bombings, the progress of Czech projects on the ground, and how to better use international aid in the coming months,” said Minister Lipavský.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office continued to operate in line with standard security measures, said a spokesperson.
On Thursday, Russia launched a new medium-range ballistic missile in response to Ukraine’s use of longer-range missiles sent by the U.S. and the UK, capable of striking deeper into Russian territory, said Russian President Vladimir Putin in a speech.
The Pentagon confirmed that the Russian missile was a new experimental type of medium-range missile based on the RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile.
