Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced in a televised address that the country has fired a novel hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) at Ukraine, in response to Kyiv’s use of long range US and UK-made missiles, the ATACMS and Storm Shadow, in attacks on targets in mainland Russia.
Ukraine had earlier accused Russia of firing an intercontinental ballistic (ICBM) at the city of Dnipro amid rapid escalation in the more-than-two-year war. It has claimed that Russia had fired the ICBM along with a barrage of other missiles at the city in central Ukraine.
Countering the claim, in the televised address, President Vladimir Putin said Russia had tested a novel hypersonic intermediate-range missile in a strike on Ukraine. Russia has been publically saying for months that any use of NATO supplied long-range missiles to attack mainland Russian territory will be considered as direct involvement of NATO in the war in Ukraine, substantially expanding the conflict.
“We believe that we have the right to use our weapons against military facilities of the countries that allow to use their weapons against our facilities,” Putin said in his first comments since US President Joe Biden gave Ukraine the green light this month to use US-made Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) missiles to strike at some targets inside Russia as well as allowed Ukraine to use U.S. anti-personnel landmines on the frontlines.
“Today there was a new Russian missile. All the characteristics – speed, altitude – are [of an] intercontinental ballistic [missile],” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video statement.
Zelenskyy added that experts were examining the evidence of the attack and accused Moscow of “using Ukraine as a testing ground.”
 at Ukraine, in response to Kyiv’s use of long range US and UK-made missiles, the ATACMS and Storm Shadow, in attacks on targets in mainland Russia.){kind=link}