Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday (Nov 21) claimed that Russia hit Ukraine with new mid-range ballistic missiles.
Putin said Russia carried out “testing in combat conditions of one of the newest Russian mid-range missile systems… Our engineers named it Oreshnik”, during his address about Ukraine conflict.
Earlier in the day, Ukraine claimed that Russia had launched an intercontinental ballistic missile from its southern Astrakhan region, saying it was a ballistic missile.
However, a Western official denied the claim, saying, “It was instead a ballistic missile, which was aimed at Dnipro, in Ukraine’s southeast.”
‘Elements of a global character’
In a surprise address on Thursday evening, Putin further said that the conflict in Ukraine had taken on “elements of a global character”.
Referring to the Ukraine launching its first strikes on Russian territory using Western-supplied weapons, he said, “The conflict in Ukraine has acquired elements of a global character.”
He added that Russia ‘has right’ to hit states whose weapons Ukraine uses to strike Russia, AFP reported.
This comes after Ukrainian armed forces fired British-made Storm Shadow long-range missiles inside Russia for the first time on Wednesday.
Watch | Russia-Ukraine War: Why is Ukraine Firing American & British Missiles on Russia?
The residents in the village of Marino, Kursk, found fragments from a Storm Shadow missile, reported the Telegraph.
Before that, Ukraine also carried out their first strike in a border region within Russian territory with an Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missile.
This comes after US President Joe Biden administration permitted Ukraine to use US-made long-range missiles to target inside Russia.
Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on Ukraine-Russia war on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos
(With inputs from agencies)
