Putin says hit Ukraine with new mid-range ballistic missile

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that the country´s forces had hit Ukraine with a new mid-range ballistic missile.

Putin said in a televised address that Russia carried out “testing in combat conditions of one of the newest Russian mid-range missile systems... Our engineers named it Oreshnik,” which means hazel tree in Russian.

Russia struck the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro with a barrage of missiles early on Thursday.

The Ukrainian air force and President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of apparently using an intercontinental ballistic missile, while Ukrainian experts were still examining the evidence to ascertain the type of missile used.

Putin said in his address that Russia launched a combined strike on a defence industry target in Ukraine.

He described Oreshnik as a “ballistic missile” that was deployed in this case “in a non-nuclear hypersonic configuration”, saying that the “test” had been successful and had hit its target.

Air defences cannot intercept the Oreshnik, which attacks at a speed of Mach 10, or 2.5-3-kms per second, Putin said. “Modern air defence systems... cannot intercept such missiles. That´s impossible,” he said. “As of today there are no means of counteracting such a weapon,” the president boasted.

He said Russia was testing the Oreshnik in combat conditions “in response to the aggressive actions of Nato countries towards Russia.”

Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin was using Ukraine as a weapons-testing ground, accusing Moscow of having apparently launched an armed intercontinental ballistic missile at his country.

If confirmed, it would be the first use of such a weapon in conflict in history, and a sharp escalation of the fighting in Ukraine.

“All the characteristics -- speed, altitude -- correspond to an intercontinental ballistic missile. Expert examinations are underway. It is obvious that Putin is using Ukraine as a testing ground,” Zelensky said in a video posted on social media.

Intercontinental ballistic missiles are designed to carry nuclear warheads and have a minimum range of 5,500-kms.

Sources and experts told AFP, however, it was “obvious” the missile that struck Ukraine did not carry a nuclear charge, which indicates Russia launched it mainly for political effect.

Zelensky accused Putin of doing “anything to prevent his neighbour from escaping his grasp” as the war stretches into its third year.

“Today, our crazy neighbour has once again shown who he really is and how he despises dignity, freedom and human life in general. And how afraid he is,” Zelensky said.Meanwhile, a US official said on Thursday that Russia´s strike on Ukraine was not an ICBM, but an “experimental” medium-range ballistic missile.