Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday (Nov 22) claimed that Russia’s hypersonic Oreshnik missile, fired at Ukraine on Thursday, is immune to being tracked and shot down. He also ordered the start of serial production of the missile.
“I will add that there is no countermeasure to such a missile, no means of intercepting it, in the world today. And I will emphasize once again that we will continue testing this newest system. It is necessary to establish serial production,” Putin said.
During a televised meeting with his military chiefs, the Russian president said that the country needs to begin serial production of the missile. “The decision… has in effect been taken,” Putin said.
Meanwhile, an investigation by Ukraine revealed that the hypersonic missile that struck the Ukrainian city of Dnipro reached a top speed of 13,000km/h. The public assessment said the missile took just 15 minutes to reach the target site, a Ukrainian military facility.
“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,” revealed the Ukraine military’s Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR).
“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,” the assessment added.
Ukraine returns 46 Russian citizens to Russia
On Friday, Russia said that Ukraine had returned 46 of its nationals earlier detained from the Kursk Oblast.
“The painstaking and lengthy negotiations for the return of our fellow countrymen to their homeland have brought results. They are receiving all necessary assistance,” Kursk regional governor Alexei Smirnov wrote on his Telegram channel.
A video published by Russia’s human rights commissioner, Tatyana Moskalkova, showed families with toddlers and elderly people receiving humanitarian aid.
(With inputs from agencies)
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