Vladimir Putin has vowed to launch more strikes using an experimental intermediate-range ballistic missile (IBRM) like that fired at Ukraine on Thursday, insisting Moscow had a stockpile of them.
The Russian president said production of the Oreshnik was being launched, adding: “No one in the world has such weapons.”
Testing the hypersonic missile would continue, he said, “including in combat, depending on the situation and the character of security threats created for Russia”. There is “a stockpile of such systems ready for use”, he added.
The missile is so powerful, Putin claimed, that the use of several fitted with conventional warheads in one attack could be as devastating as a strike with strategic — nuclear — weapons.
Meanwhile, Poland’s prime minister warned of a real risk of a global conflict breaking out.
Donald Tusk said the war was taking on “dramatic proportions”.
Russia fired a hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile at the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Thursday.
Putin said the strike was in retaliation for Ukraine’s using Western-supplied long-range missiles to strike military targets inside Russian territory.
Key Points
- Putin vows to launch more hypersonic ballistic missile strikes
- Threat of global conflict is real, Polish PM warns
- Putin firing new ballistic missile is ‘severe escalation’
- Nato and Kyiv to meet next week amid missile attack
- Ukrainian parliament postpones sitting today over security risk
Putin vows more ballistic missile strikes
19:41 , Jane DaltonVladimir Putin has vowed to launch more strikes using an experimental intermediate-range ballistic missile.
The Russian president disputed US claims that his country possessed only a few of the high-speed ballistic missiles, saying that the military had enough to continue to test them in “combat conditions”.
None the less, he said Moscow would ramp up production of the new “unstoppable” hypersonic ballistic missile it fired at Ukraine on Thursday.
He told a defence conference on Friday tests of the missile system had been passed, adding: “As has been said already, we’ll be continuing these tests, including in combat conditions, depending on the situation and nature of threats being posed to Russia’s security, especially considering that we have enough of such items, such systems ready for use in stock.”
'Axis of China, Russia and North Korea greatest threat since Second World War’
20:30 , Jane DaltonThe emerging axis of China, Russia and North Korea has created “the most serious and dangerous challenge” for the West since the Second World War, according to a former top US military chief.
General Jack Keane, a retired four-star general and former vice-chief of the US Army, told The Times: “China, Russia and North Korea are working effectively together. What has happened is that they have perceived us, the US, to be weak and that we have lost the political will to confront them.”
Gen Keane, one of the most influential military figures in Washington and a Donald Trump ally, said: “At the moment there are 10,000 North Korean troops who have joined the Russians.
“But do we have the beginnings of a pipeline of North Korean troops coming to support Russia, another country fighting alongside Russia to try and overthrow Ukraine? This is the biggest escalation of the war.”
He added: “The pressure on [President] Zelensky is enormous. This is not about giving up the 18 per cent of territory the Russians have seized, it’s about human lives. The Ukrainians living in these areas will be subjugated under Russian domination. This is what Zelensky cannot allow to happen. He needs leverage so that he gives up less territory. That’s why we have to give him everything he needs.”
What is the Storm Shadow cruise missile? Ukraine hits Russia with British weapon for first time
20:30 , Alexander ButlerWatch: Footage appears to show Russia's ICBM launch hitting Ukraine
20:00 , Alexander ButlerElite’ Russian units becoming ‘obsolete’ in Ukraine war
19:30 , Alexander ButlerRussian units fighting in Ukraine which were previously considered “elite” are now becoming “increasingly obsolete” as a result of Russia’s strategy of throwing waves of troops into battle that has turned the frontline into a “meat grinder”, a leading war monitor has said.
Army formations which once carried out specialised tactical tasks in their assault on Ukrainians are now “understrength”, and reliant on infantry-led assaults which fail to deploy any “unique tactics”, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said.
Once considered “elite”, the units are “now essentially functioning as understrength motorised rifle units, relying on infantry-led frontal assaults to make tactical gains as opposed to employing any sort of doctrinally unique tactics,” the US-based think tank said in an update on Thursday.
Once ‘elite’ Russian units becoming ‘obsolete’ due to Putin’s war strategy in Ukraine
UK Foreign Secretary vows to ‘do everything that is necessary’ to help Ukraine
19:00 , Alexander ButlerThe Foreign Secretary has vowed to continue to “do everything that is necessary” to help Ukraine combat Russia after Vladimir Putin threatened strikes on the UK.
The Russian president used a new ballistic missile against Ukraine on Thursday, with Mr Putin claiming the use of the weapon was in response to the UK and US allowing missiles they have supplied to Ukraine to be used to strike targets in Russia.
“We consider ourselves entitled to use our weapons against military facilities of those countries that allow their weapons to be used against our facilities,” he said.
Read the full report here:
Foreign Secretary vows to ‘do everything that is necessary’ to help Ukraine
Nato and Kyiv to meet next week
18:45 , Alexander ButlerNato and Ukraine will meet in Brussels, Belgium, next week in response to Moscow’s use of the Oreshnik missile on Dnipro, central Ukraine.
The meeting on Tuesday of the Nato-Ukraine council will happen on ambassadorial level. It was called by Kyiv after the strike on the city of Dnipro.
British man admits arson on Ukraine-linked London property
18:30 , Alexander ButlerA British man admitted on Friday that he carried out an arson attack on a London commercial property linked to Ukraine, and that he had accepted pay from a foreign intelligence agency, in a case prosecutors have linked to Russia.
Jake Reeves, 22, pleaded guilty at London’s Woolwich crown court to charges of aggravated arson on the premises belonging to a “Mr X” on an industrial estate in east London in March.
He also admitted a charge under the UK’s new National Security Act (NSA) of obtaining a material benefit from a foreign intelligence service.
Two killed in Russian drone attack on Sumy
18:15 , Alexander ButlerA Russian drone attack on the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy killed two people and injured 12 on Friday morning, regional authorities said.
Twelve apartment buildings, five private residences, a store and three cars were damaged after three drones attacked the city around 5am (0300 GMT), the national police said.
Volodymyr Artiukh, Sumy regional governor, said Russian forces had equipped drones with shrapnel for the attack on a densely populated area of the city.
“This weapon is used exclusively to kill people,” Artiukh said, pointing to scars on a damaged building. “Not for a facility, but in order to destroy more people.”
Risk of nuclear war close, North Korea warns
18:00 , Alexander ButlerNorth Korean leader Kim Jong Un has said the Korean Peninsula has never been so close to a nuclear war, after what he described as “aggressive” moves from the US in particular.
“Never before have the warring parties on the Korean Peninsula faced such a dangerous and acute confrontation that it could escalate into the most destructive thermonuclear war,” Kim said.
“We have already gone as far as we can on negotiating with the United States, but what we became certain of from the result is not the superpower’s willingness to coexist, but its thorough stance of power and aggressive and hostile policy toward us that can never change.”
Putin firing new ballistic missile is ‘severe escalation’
17:45 , Alexander ButlerRussia’s use of a new experimental hypersonic missile is a severe escalation of the conflict, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky warned.
Zelensky said the attack on Dnipro, central Ukraine, with a medium-range ballistic warhead on Thursday was “yet more proof that Russia has no interest in peace”.
Ukrainian air defence forces said the missile – which has a range of more than 3,400 miles and can be used to carry nuclear warheads – was fired from Russia’s Astrakhan region, on the Caspian Sea.
“He is testing you, dear partners. He must be stopped. A lack of tough reactions to Russia’s actions sends a message that such behaviour is acceptable. This is what Putin is doing,” Zelensky said.
“Pressure is needed. Russia must be forced into real peace, which can only be achieved through strength,” he added.
How damaging could Russia’s new missile be?
17:30 , Alexander ButlerWhile launching an intermediate-range missile is a less threatening signal, the incident could still set off alarms and Moscow notified Washington briefly ahead of the launch, according to US officials.
The Kremlin said Russia had not been technically obliged to warn the United States about the strike because the missile used had been intermediate-range rather than intercontinental, but added that Moscow had informed the US 30 minutes before the launch anyway.
Russian military expert Anatoly Matviychuk said it could carry six to eight conventional or nuclear warheads, and was probably already in service.
Putin said the missile travelled at 10 times the speed of sound [Mach 10] and so could not be intercepted, with Russian sources saying the range was 3,1000 miles.
It also appeared to have multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles: separate warheads able to hit different targets.
What is the missile launched by Russia?
17:15 , Alexander ButlerUkraine’s air force initially said the missile was an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) - the kind that Russia could hit the United States with.
But the US military later said the weapon was an intermediate-range missile based on the design of Russia’s longer-range RS-26 ICBM missile.
The Pentagon said it was fired with a conventional warhead but Moscow could modify it if it wanted, with Russia only possessing a handful of them.
“It could be refitted to certainly carry different types of conventional or nuclear warheads,” Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said.
Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed on Friday that all of the missile’s warheads had hit their targets and hailed what it said was its first successful use of an intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile with conventional warheads in combat.
Russia using advanced aircraft for standard tasks, UK MoD says
17:00 , Alexander ButlerThe UK’s Ministry of Defence says it has intelligence saying that Russia is being forced to use its advanced fighter jets for more standard missions.
The MoD said Russia’s air force had failed to establish air superiority over Ukraine “despite technological and numerical advantage” and more than 1,000 days of war.
“Russia has resorted to using their tactical level aviation - such as SU-34 aircraft - as airborne artillery,” it added, without explaining why.
Watch: Boris Johnson says Trump won’t embarrass himself by letting Putin win in Ukraine
16:45 , Alexander Butler
Watch: Starmer denies UK at war after Ukraine fires British Storm Shadow missiles into Russia
16:15 , Alexander ButlerNorth Korean General country’s first high ranking military official injured in Ukraine
16:00 , Alexander Butler
North Korean General country’s first high ranking official injured in Ukraine war
Russia says Ukraine returned 46 of its civilians originally from Kursk
15:45 , Alexander ButlerThe governor of Russia’s Kursk border region said on Friday that 46 Russian civilian residents of Kursk held by Ukraine had been returned to Russia following negotiations with Kyiv.
Alexei Smirnov said the civilians, including 12 children, had been moved by Ukrainian troops into Ukraine after Kyiv staged a cross-border incursion into the western Russian region of Kursk in August.
Ukraine continues to control part of the region despite Russian attempts to dislodge Kyiv’s forces
Ukraine says new Russian missile reached speed of over 13,000 kph
15:30 , Alexander ButlerThe Russian missile that struck the Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Thursday reached a top speed of more than 13,000 kph (8,000 mph) and took about 15 minutes to reach its target from its launch, Ukraine said on Friday in its first public assessment of the new weapon.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow struck a Ukrainian military facility with a new intermediate-range, hypersonic ballistic missile known as “Oreshnik” as a warning to the West against supporting Ukraine’s war effort.
The attack took place with fighting in the war nearing the three-year mark and Ukraine firing longer-range missiles supplied by its Western allies at targets inside Russia.
“The flight time of this Russian missile from the moment of its launch in the Astrakhan region to its impact in the city of Dnipro was 15 minutes,” the military’s Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR) said in a statement.
What do we know about Putin’s ‘experimental’ ballistic missile?
15:06 , Alexander Butler
What do we know about Putin’s ‘experimental’ ballistic missile?
Threat of global conflict is real, Polish PM says
13:52 , Alexander ButlerThere is a real risk of a global conflict breaking out over the Ukraine war, Polish prime minister Donald Tusk warned.
Mr Tusk said the conflict was taking on “dramatic proportions” with the threat of global conflict “serious and real”.
It comes after Russia fired a hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile at a the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Thursday.
“The war in the east is entering a decisive phase, we feel that the unknown is approaching,” Tusk told a teachers conference.
“The conflict is taking on dramatic proportions. The last few dozen hours have shown that the threat is serious and real when it comes to global conflict.”
On Thursday, Russian president Vladimir Putin said the strike was a response to the US and UK allowing Kyiv to strike Russian territory with advanced Western weapons.
What missile did Russia use?
13:15 , Alexander ButlerUkraine’s air force initially said the missile was an intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) - the kind that Russia could hit the United States with.
But the US military later said the weapon was an intermediate-range missile (IRBM) based on the design of Russia’s longer-range RS-26 ICBM missile
The Pentagon said it was fired with a conventional warhead but Moscow could modify it if it wanted, with Russia only possessing a handful of them.
“It could be refitted to certainly carry different types of conventional or nuclear warheads,” Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said.
Watch: Putin says Russia tested new intermediate range missile in strike on Ukraine
13:00 , Alexander ButlerRussia says hypersonic missile strike on Ukraine was a warning to 'reckless' West
12:45 , Alexander ButlerThe Kremlin said on Friday that a strike on Ukraine using a newly developed hypersonic ballistic missile was a message to the West that Moscow will respond harshly to any “reckless” Western actions in support of Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was speaking a day after President Vladimir Putin said Moscow had fired the new missile - the Oreshnik or Hazel Tree - at a Ukrainian military facility in response to Kyiv striking Russia with U.S.-made and British-made missiles this week for the first time after the US granted its approval.
“The main message is that the reckless decisions and actions of Western countries that produce missiles, supply them to Ukraine, and subsequently participate in strikes on Russian territory cannot remain without a reaction from the Russian side,” Peskov said.
North Korean General country’s first high ranking military official injured in Ukraine, says report
12:29 , Alexander ButlerHow damaging could Putin’s IRBM’s be?
12:00 , Alexander ButlerWhile launching an IRBM sent a less threatening signal, the incident could still set off alarms and Moscow notified Washington briefly ahead of the launch, according to US officials.
Russian military expert Anatoly Matviychuk said it could carry six to eight conventional or nuclear warheads, and was probably already in service.
Putin said the missile travelled at 10 times the speed of sound and so could not be intercepted, with Russian sources saying the range was 3,1000 miles.
It also appeared to have multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles: separate warheads able to hit different targets.
Watch: Footage appears to show Russia's ICBM launch hitting Ukraine
11:45 , Alexander ButlerUkraine says new missile fired by Russia flew for 15 minutes
11:25 , Alexander ButlerThe Russian missile that struck the Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Thursday flew for 15 minutes and reached a maximum speed of beyond Mach 11, Kyiv’s top spy agency said on Friday.
“The flight time of this Russian missile from the moment of its launch in the Astrakhan region to its impact in the city of Dnipro was 15 minutes,” the Main Directorate of Intelligence said in a statement, adding that the weapon was “likely from the ‘Kedr’ missile complex.
“The missile was equipped with six warheads: each equipped with six submunitions. The speed at the final part of the trajectory was over Mach 11.”
How damaging could Putin’s IRBM’s be?
10:56 , Alexander ButlerWhile launching an IRBM sent a less threatening signal, the incident could still set off alarms and Moscow notified Washington briefly ahead of the launch, according to US officials.
Russian military expert Anatoly Matviychuk said it could carry six to eight conventional or nuclear warheads, and was probably already in service.
Putin said the missile travelled at 10 times the speed of sound and so could not be intercepted, with Russian sources saying the range was 3,1000 miles.
It also appeared to have multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles: separate warheads able to hit different targets.
What missile did Russia use?
10:35 , Alexander ButlerUkraine’s air force initially said the missile was an intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) - the kind that Russia could hit the United States with.
But the US military later said the weapon was an intermediate-range missile (IRBM) based on the design of Russia’s longer-range RS-26 ICBM missile
The Pentagon said it was fired with a conventional warhead but Moscow could modify it if it wanted, with Russia only possessing a handful of them.
“It could be refitted to certainly carry different types of conventional or nuclear warheads,” Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said.
What is an intercontinental ballistic missile and how many does Russia have?
10:15 , Alexander ButlerTwo killed in Russian drone attack on Sumy
10:00 , Alexander ButlerA Russian drone attack on the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy killed two people and injured 12 on Friday morning, regional authorities said.
Twelve apartment buildings, five private residences, a store and three cars were damaged after three drones attacked the city around 5am (0300 GMT), the national police said.
Volodymyr Artiukh, Sumy regional governor, said Russian forces had equipped drones with shrapnel for the attack on a densely populated area of the city.
“This weapon is used exclusively to kill people,” Artiukh said, pointing to scars on a damaged building. “Not for a facility, but in order to destroy more people.”
Risk of nuclear war close, North Korea warns
09:41 , Alexander ButlerNorth Korean leader Kim Jong Un has said the Korean Peninsula has never been so close to a nuclear war, after what he described as “aggressive” moves from the US in particular.
“Never before have the warring parties on the Korean Peninsula faced such a dangerous and acute confrontation that it could escalate into the most destructive thermonuclear war,” Kim said.
“We have already gone as far as we can on negotiating with the United States, but what we became certain of from the result is not the superpower’s willingness to coexist, but its thorough stance of power and aggressive and hostile policy toward us that can never change.”
Nato and Kyiv to meet next week
09:31 , Alexander ButlerNato and Ukraine will meet in Brussels, Belgium, next week in response to Moscow’s use of the Oreshnik missile on Dnipro, central Ukraine.
The meeting on Tuesday of the Nato-Ukraine council will happen on ambassadorial level. It was called by Kyiv after the strike on the city of Dnipro.
Putin firing new ballistic missile is ‘severe escalation’
09:29 , Alexander ButlerRussia’s use of a new experimental hypersonic missile is a severe escalation of the conflict, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky warned.
Zelensky said the attack on Dnipro, central Ukraine, with a medium-range ballistic warhead on Thursday was “yet more proof that Russia has no interest in peace”.
Ukrainian air defence forces said the missile – which has a range of more than 3,400 miles and can be used to carry nuclear warheads – was fired from Russia’s Astrakhan region, on the Caspian Sea.
“He is testing you, dear partners. He must be stopped. A lack of tough reactions to Russia’s actions sends a message that such behaviour is acceptable. This is what Putin is doing,” Zelensky said.
“Pressure is needed. Russia must be forced into real peace, which can only be achieved through strength,” he added.
What is Russia's 'Oreshnik' missile?
09:02 , Tara CobhamPresident Vladimir Putin said Russia had struck Ukraine with a new hypersonic medium-range ballistic missile in response to Kyiv's use of US and British missiles against Russia.
What is the missile?
Putin said "Oreshnik" (Hazel tree), one of Russia’s newest intermediate-range missiles, was a hypersonic ballistic missile.
He said it travelled at 10 times the speed of sound and so could not be intercepted. Russian sources said the range was 5,000 km (3,100 miles), allowing Russia to strike most of Europe and the west coast of the United States.
It appears to have multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles: separate warheads able to hit different targets.
Anatoly Matviychuk, a Russian military expert, said it could carry six to eight conventional or nuclear warheads, and was probably already in service, according to Yuri Podolyaka, a prominent Ukrainian-born, pro-Russian military blogger.
The Pentagon said the missile that Russia fired was based on the "RS-26 Rubezh" intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
It said the US had been notified of the launch through nuclear risk reduction channels.
What is the RS-26?
The RS-26 is a solid-fuelled, road-mobile ballistic missile that entered development in 2008.
The US formally withdrew from the landmark 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty with Russia in 2019 after saying that Moscow was violating the accord, an accusation the Kremlin denied.
The US said at the time that Russia was developing a ground-based cruise missile (known as 9M729 in Russia) that was distinct from the RS-26.
UK Foreign Secretary vows to ‘do everything that is necessary’ to help Ukraine
08:38 , Tara CobhamThe Foreign Secretary has vowed to continue to “do everything that is necessary” to help Ukraine combat Russia after Vladimir Putin threatened strikes on the UK.
The Russian president used a new ballistic missile against Ukraine on Thursday, with Mr Putin claiming the use of the weapon was in response to the UK and US allowing missiles they have supplied to Ukraine to be used to strike targets in Russia.
“We consider ourselves entitled to use our weapons against military facilities of those countries that allow their weapons to be used against our facilities,” he said.
Read the full report here:
Foreign Secretary vows to ‘do everything that is necessary’ to help Ukraine
UK Home Secretary says ‘we will continue’ to see ‘aggressive language’ from Putin
08:21 , Tara CobhamThe Home Secretary has said that "we will continue" to see "aggressive language" from Vladimir Putin.
Asked about the Russian leader's threat to use weapons against nations that allow their own weapons to be used against Russia, Yvette Cooper told Sky News this morning: "Russia invaded a sovereign state.
"We have seen the aggressive, blustering tone and response from Putin all the way through this, it's completely unacceptable, and we will continue to see that sort of aggressive language.
"We are clear that that sort of behaviour cannot be tolerated, and that's why we have provided the support to Ukraine as they defend themselves against Putin's aggression."
Ms Cooper also declined to officially confirm whether British weapons had been used by Ukraine in Russia, saying: "I'm not going to comment on the detail of any individual defence operations."
Zelensky hits out at ‘insane neighbour’ Russia as he claims Putin is ‘searching world for more weapons’
08:00 , Arpan RaiVolodymyr Zelensky has spoken for the first time after Russia is understood to have fired intercontinental ballistic missiles within Ukraine.
In a video, shared on, Zelensky marked Ukraine’s Day of Dignity and Freedom, by labelling Russia an “insane neighbour” who despises “dignity and freedom”.
Zelensky claimed Russia and leader Vladimir Putin are “ that terrified” of Ukraine they are “searching the world for more weapons”.
Zelensky also claimed Putin is using Ukraine as a “testing ground”, before thanking those who are helping his country fight the war against Russia.
Zelensky calls Russia ‘insane neighbour’ as it is ‘searching world for more weapons’
Putin sends warning to ‘ruling elites’ after Russia tests new missile in Ukraine strike
07:30 , Arpan RaiVladimir Putin sent a warning to “ruling elites” and confirmed Russia has tested a new intermediate range missile in a strike on Ukraine.
In a nationwide TV address on Thursday (21 November), the Russian president added that Moscow could use it against countries that allowed Kyiv to use their missiles to strike Russia.
Mr Putin said Thursday’s strike on Ukraine was in response to Ukrainian strikes on the Russian territory in which US and British missiles were used earlier this week.
Putin sends warning to ‘ruling elites’ after Russia tests new missile in Ukraine
Putin says Ukraine war is going global
07:16 , Arpan RaiUkraine war was escalating towards a global conflict after the United States and Britain allowed Ukraine to hit Russia with their weapons, Vladimir Putin said yesterday in his address as he warned the West that Moscow could strike back.
Russia, Mr Putin said, had responded to the use of US and British missiles by firing a new kind of hypersonic medium-range ballistic missile at a Ukrainian military facility. More could follow, Mr Putin warned. He said civilians would be warned ahead of further strikes with such weapons.
The United States, he said, was pushing the world towards a global conflict.
'Ukraine’s use of Storm Shadow missiles will not turn war’
07:00 , Barney DavisThe West relaxing restrictions on Ukraine’s use of long-range weapons may boost Kyiv but will likely do little to transform the battlefield situation, analysts said, despite the dire nature of the Kremlin’s rhetorical reaction.
“At this stage in the war, the risk of Russian nuclear use is lower than before. Political and battlefield developments favour Russia, so there is little to gain by escalating the conflict to the nuclear level,” said Alexander Bollfrass, head of strategy, technology and arms control at the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank.
He also pointed to the diplomatic drawbacks.
“Nuclear weapons use would risk alienating China and other non-Western countries whose support or neutrality is key to maintaining the Russian war economy,” Bollfrass told NBC News in an email Wednesday. “It would also get the relationship with the incoming Trump administration off to a very dangerous start.”
Putin says Russia fired experimental ballistic missile at Ukraine
06:39 , Arpan RaiVladimir Putin has claimed Moscow launched a new hypersonic ballistic missile against Ukraine in response to strikes by Kyiv inside Russia using UK and US long-range missiles.
The Russian leader said the Oreshnik, or Hazel, medium-range missile had been used in some of its latest strikes. Earlier, Ukraine’s air force said Russia had fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in an attack on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro – the first recorded use of the weapon during the war.
Ukrainian air defence forces said the missile – which has a range of more than 3,400 miles and can be used to carry nuclear warheads – was fired from Russia’s Astrakhan region, on the Caspian Sea. However, American officials said an initial US assessment indicated the strike was carried out with an intermediate-range ballistic missile which cannot travel so far, something backed by Putin’s remarks.
Alex Croft reports:
Putin says Russia fired experimental ballistic missile at Ukraine
Jeremy Kyle cuts off caller who ‘defends’ Putin in heated live interview clash
06:00 , Barney Davis
Jeremy Kyle cuts off caller who ‘defends’ Putin in heated live interview clash
Britain now directly involved in Ukraine war, Russian ambassador says
05:33 , Arpan RaiThe UK and Britain are now “directly involved” in the Ukraine war as party after its Storm Shadow missiles used to strike targets inside Russia have dragged it in the conflict, Moscow’s ambassador has warned.
“Absolutely, Britain and UK is now directly involved in this war, because this firing cannot happen without Nato staff, British staff as well,” ambassador Anrei Kelin told Sky News.
“The US administration, support by France and the UK, has made a deliberate decision to make these strikes, which seriously escalates the situation, and it can bring a collision between the nuclear powers,” he said.
The Russian diplomat also called it “deliberate cheating of us”, claiming he was told that the British missiles would only be used inside Ukraine territory.
UN chief calls for de-escalation in Ukraine war after Putin fires new missile
05:09 , Arpan RaiThe United Nations chief has called on all parties in the Ukraine war to de-escalate the conflict after Russian president Vladimir Putin fired a new missile in Dnipro.
Russia’s use of a new intermediate-range ballistic missile was “yet another concerning and worrying development,” UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres’s spokesperson said.
“All of this [is] going in the wrong direction,” his spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said as he called on all parties to de-escalate the conflict and “to protect civilians, not hit civilian targets or critical civilian infrastructure”.
Nato says Putin’s new missile won’t deter West’s support for Kyiv
05:01 , Arpan RaiRussia is seeking to “terrorise” civilians and intimidate Ukraine’s allies with its new missile, Nato spokesperson Farah Dakhlallah said .
“Deploying this capability will neither change the course of the conflict nor deter Nato allies from supporting Ukraine,” Ms Dakhlallah said.
UK signs security pact with Moldova
05:00 , Barney DavisThe UK has signed a new security and defence partnership agreement with Moldova, as Ukraine’s western neighbour anxiously eyes Russia’s nearby invasion and accuses Moscow of meddling in its elections.
Pro-European president Maia Sandu won re-election last month, but by a smaller margin than expected, as a tiny margin of Moldovan voters backed a referendum to alter the constitution to include provisions on integration with the European Union, presented by premier Dorin Recean on Wednesday.
A UK government statement said the security partnership was aimed at “building on extensive cooperation between the two countries and strengthening Moldovan resilience against external threats”. Foreign secretary David Lammy said: “With Ukraine next door, Moldovans are constantly reminded of Russia’s oppression, imperialism and aggression.”
The deal included £2m to bolster Moldova’s protection against cyberattacks and a £5m grant to improve health services for refugees, as well as an agreement to ensure the return to Moldova of its nationals illegally staying in Britain.
Ukrainian parliament postpones sitting today over security risk
04:43 , Arpan RaiUkraine’s parliament has postponed a sitting due to have taken place today out of security concerns, public broadcaster Suspilne reported last night, quoting sources.
“On 22 November, plans called for a session of the Verkhovna Rada (parliament), which included questions to the government, but this was cancelled for reasons of potential security issues,” Suspilne said.
It said the order told members to keep their families out of Kyiv’s government district and quoted parliamentarians as saying that, for the moment, the next sitting was not scheduled until December.
The postponement occurred after Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin said Russia had struck the central city of Dnipro with a new medium-range hypersonic missile in response to Ukrainian use of Western missiles on targets in Russia.
Mr Putin suggested more could follow “in case of escalation of aggressive actions”.
Military experts decode Putin’s new missile Orshenik: ‘Taunting his enemy’
04:30 , Arpan RaiRussia was sending a message by attacking Ukraine with an intermediate-range ballistic missile capable of releasing multiple warheads at extremely high speeds, even if they are less accurate than cruise missiles or short-range ballistic missiles, said Matthew Savill, director of military sciences at the Royal United Services Institute, a London-based think tank.
“Why might you use it therefore?” Mr Savill said. “Signaling — signaling to the Ukrainians. We’ve got stuff that outrages you. But really signaling to the West ‘We’re happy to enter into a competition around intermediate range ballistic missiles. P.S.: These could be nuclear tipped. Do you really want to take that risk?’”
Military experts say that modern inter-continental ballistic missiles and intermediate-range ballistic missiles are extremely difficult to intercept, although Ukraine has previously claimed to have stopped some other weapons that Russia described as “unstoppable,” including the air-launched Kinzhal hypersonic missile.
David Albright, of the Washington-based think tank the Institute for Science and International Security, said he was “skeptical” of Mr Putin’s claim, adding that Russian technology sometimes “falls short.”
He suggested Mr Putin was “taunting the West to try to shoot it down... like a braggart boasting, taunting his enemy.”
Orshenik: All you need to know about Putin’s new missile
04:21 , Arpan RaiVladimir Putin announced the Kremlin fired a new intermediate-range ballistic missile named “Orshenik” at Ukraine on Thursday in response to Kyiv’s use this week of American and British missiles capable of striking deeper into Russia.
Orshenik, Russian for hazelnut tree, he said flies at ten times the speed of sound and the US air defence systems will be powerless to stop the new missiles.
Mr Putin said it could be used to attack any Ukrainian ally whose missiles are used to attack Russia. The Russian leader said he will issue advance warnings if Moscow launches more strikes with the Oreshnik against Ukraine to allow civilians to evacuate to safety — something Moscow hasn’t done before previous aerial attacks.
Two lions from wartorn Ukraine arrive at their new home
04:00 , Barney DavisTwo lionesses which were rescued from a conflict zone in Ukraine have arrived at their new home in Scotland.
Luna and Plusza, both aged four, arrived at the Five Sisters Zoo, West Calder, West Lothian, on Wednesday night.
The lionesses were rescued from an area affected by heavy shelling in eastern Ukraine in 2022, before being moved through Kyiv, Poland, and Belgium to reach the safety of Scotland.
Lions rescued from war zone in Ukraine arrive at their new home in Scotland
North Korean leader says past diplomacy only confirmed US hostility
03:59 , Arpan RaiNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un said his past negotiations with the United States only confirmed Washington’s “unchangeable” hostility toward Pyongyang and described his nuclear buildup as the only way to counter external threats, state media said Friday.
Mr Kim spoke on Thursday at a defence exhibition where North Korea displayed some of its most powerful weapons systems, including intercontinental ballistic missiles designed to target the US mainland, the North’s Korean Central News Agency said. While meeting with army officers last week, he had pledged a “limitless” expansion of his military nuclear program.
Kim Jong-un says past negotiations with US confirmed ‘unchangeable’ hostility
Zelensky says Putin escalating war with ‘deranged ambitions’
03:27 , Arpan RaiVolodymyr Zelensky said Vladimir Putin is escalating the war, testing Ukraine’s partners and contradicting peace efforts by China, Brazil, the US and European allies. The Ukrainian leader said Mr Putin “must feel the cost of his deranged ambitions” and forced into real peace.
“Today, Putin admitted to taking a second step this year toward escalating and expanding this war. A new ballistic missile was used. Putin struck our city of Dnipro, one of Ukraine’s largest cities,” Mr Zelensky said, calling it “a clear and severe escalation in the scale and brutality of this war”
“Let me emphasise: this is already Russia’s second step toward escalation this year. The first was involving North Korea in the war against Ukraine with a contingent of at least 11,000 soldiers,” he said.
“Putin has taken both of these steps while ignoring everyone in the world who is calling for no further expansion of the war. He disregards calls from China, Brazil, European countries, the United States, and others. Putin alone started this war—an entirely unprovoked war—and he is doing everything to prolong it, now for over a thousand days,” he said in post on X.
Putin said he fired a new missile Oreshnik yesterday which struck a well-known missile factory in Dnipro. He also said Russia would issue advance warnings if it launches more strikes with the Oreshnik against Ukraine to allow civilians to evacuate to safety — something Moscow hasn’t done before previous aerial attacks.
North Korean general injured in Ukraine’s British Storm Shadow missile attack – WSJ
03:10 , Arpan RaiA high-ranking North Korean General is reportedly injured in a recent Ukrainian strike in Russia’s Kursk region, Western officials said yesterday.
This is the first casualty of a senior North Korean military officer in the escalating Russia-Ukraine conflict, according to the Western officials, reported The Wall Street Journal. Ukraine launched at least 10 British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles into Kursk on Wednesday, according to Ukrainian and Western officials.
It is not immediately clear how the senior North Korean officer was wounded or his identity.
The US had declared that the North Korean troops fighting in Ukraine will become “fair game and fair targets for the Ukrainians” in October, John Kirby, a spokesperson for the National Security Council had said last month after the troubling intelligence confirmed Pyongyang was sending its troops to fight in the war.
ICYMI: Germany says sabotage behind cutting of telecoms cables in the Baltic Sea
03:00 , Barney DavisThe damage of two undersea internet cables in the Baltic sea must be seen as an act of sabotage, German defence minister Boris Pistorius has said.
A pair of fibre-optic communications cables were severed on Sunday and Monday, in an incident which “immediately raises suspicions of intentional damage”, Finland and Germany said in a joint statement.
A 745-mile (1,200 kilometre) cable linking Helsinki to the German port of Rostock stopped working at 2am on Monday, according to Finnish state-controlled cyber security and telecoms company Cinia.
Another cable linking Lithuania and Sweden’s Gotland Island went out of service at 8am on Monday, according to a Lithuanian communications firm.
My colleague Alex Croft has the full report:
Germany says sabotage behind cutting of telecoms cables in Baltic Sea
Pentagon confirms new Russian missile used in attacking Ukraine
02:51 , Arpan RaiPentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh confirmed that Russia’s missile was a new, experimental type of intermediate range missile based on it’s RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile.“This was new type of lethal capability that was deployed on the battlefield, so that was certainly of concern,” Ms Singh said, noting that the missile could carry either conventional or nuclear warheads. The UD was notified ahead of the launch through nuclear risk reduction channels, she said.
The Kremlin fired a new intermediate-range ballistic missile at Ukraine yesterday in response to Kyiv’s use this week of American and British missiles capable of striking deeper into Russia, president Vladimir Putin said.
UK-trained elite commandos approached to fight for Russia against Ukraine
02:00 , Barney DavisFor Ghulam, it began with a form handed to him by a colleague, offering him a way out. For more than 12 years, he had been part of an elite troop of Afghan special forces set up, trained and paid by the British government.
Now, after being forced to flee the Taliban and leave his homeland for Iran, he worked long days in a recycling factory and had to evade police because of his undocumented status.
The fellow Afghan who gave Ghulam the form knew of his military background and thought he might be open to an offer. For some in Ghulam’s situation, a form comes first; for others, it’s contact by phone from other Afghan veterans.
Some have been approached face to face. However it’s done, and whatever the terms, the offer to these elite UK-trained commandos is broadly the same: come to fight for Vladimir Putin’s Russian forces against Ukraine.
UK-trained elite commandos approached to fight for Russia against Ukraine
Slovakia analysing US sanctions against Gazprombank, economy ministry says
01:00 , Barney DavisSlovakia’s Economy Ministry is analysing new U.S. sanctions against Gazprombank and will know their potential impact on Slovakia soon, the ministry said on Thursday.
Slovakia’s state-owned gas buyer SPP has a long-term contract with Gazprom and continues to buy Russian gas.
Storm Shadows undermine Putin’s narrative that Russia and NATO are at war
00:01 , Barney DavisAnalysts and observers say that the loosening of restrictions on Ukraine’s use of Western missiles is unlikely to change the the course of the war, but it puts the Russian army in a more vulnerable position and could complicate the logistics that are crucial in warfare.
“It is an important move and it pulls against, undermines the narrative that Putin had been trying to establish that it was fine for Russia to rain down Iranian drones and North Korean missiles on Ukraine but a reckless escalation for Ukraine to use Western-supplied weapons at legitimate targets in Russia,” said Peter Ricketts, a former UK national security adviser who now sits in the House of Lords.
Full report: Putin says Russia fired experimental ballistic missile at Ukraine
Thursday 21 November 2024 23:31 , Andy GregoryVladimir Putin has claimed Moscow launched a new hypersonic ballistic missile against Ukraine in response for long-range strikes by Kyiv inside Russia using UK and US long-range missiles.
The Russian leader said the “Oreshnik,” or Hazel, medium-range missile had been used in some of its latest strikes. Earlier, Ukraine’s air force said Russia had fired a intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in an attack on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro - in what would be the first recorded use of the weapon during war
Ukrainian air defence forces said the missile - that has a range of more than 3,400 miles and can be used to carry nuclear warheads - was fired from Russia’s Astrakhan region, on the Caspian Sea. However, American officials said an initial US assessment indicated the strike was carried out with an intermediate-range ballistic missile which cannot travel so far, something backed by Putin’s remarks.
My colleague Alex Croft has the full report:
Putin says Russia fired experimental ballistic missile at Ukraine
Defence secretary warns Ukraine’s front line is not stable
Thursday 21 November 2024 23:00 , Barney DavisWhile refusing to confirm whether the UK had given permission for long range missiles to be fired by Ukraine into Russian territory, Defence secretary John Healey expressed little surprise at the reports Russia had fired a new ballistic missile at the country.
He told MPs: “There are unconfirmed media reports today of Russia firing a new ballistic missile into Ukraine which we know they have been preparing for months.”
He warned: “This is a serious time. Intelligence reveals that the frontline is less stable than at any time since the Russian invasion in 2022.
“We have seen in recent weeks a very clear escalation from Putin and his forces. They have stepped up attacks on energy systems in Ukraine, ahead of winter. They have stepped up attacks on civilian centres, killing children. At least 10,000 North Korean troops have been sent to the front line.”
Watch: Russia spokesperson takes phone call during presser telling her not to comment on strike
Thursday 21 November 2024 22:44 , Andy GregoryBiden changed course on ATACMS after North Korea entered Ukraine war, officials say
Thursday 21 November 2024 22:29 , Andy GregoryJoe Biden dropped his opposition to Ukraine firing US missiles at on Russian territory in response to North Korea’s entry to the war, in a shift which took on extra urgency following Donald Trump’s election victory, sources familiar with the matter have told Reuters.
Moscow’s decision to deploy North Korean soldiers to Russia’s Kursk region represented a major escalation that demanded a response, a senior US official and two other sources familiar with the matter said.
Mr Trump’s victory added pressure on the Biden Administration to loosen the rules on the use of the weapons and take other steps to bolster Ukraine as it suffers repeated setbacks on the battlefield, according to two other sources familiar with the matter.
Easing controls on the use of the missiles was intended to send a message to the North Koreans and Russians that the shift was unacceptable, as well as hamper their efforts to push Ukrainians out of Kursk, a senior US official familiar with the administration’s thinking said.
The official acknowledged that relaxing the restrictions risked a further escalation of the conflict – but noted that Russia has so far taken no action against states other than Ukraine, while a congressional aide told the news agency that they believed the new policy only applied to the Kursk region.
Expect 'consequences' from Putin speech, Orban warns
14:32 , Alexander ButlerVladimir Putin ally and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has warned the West to take the Russian leader’s threats seriously.
“I just want to say that when the Russians change the rules for deploying their nuclear arsenal, what is called doctrine, it’s not a communications bluff,” he said, referring to changes made by Putin last week.
“That is not a trick. It has been modified, and there will be consequences,” he said.
