Russia launched a hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile at the Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Thursday, following Ukraine’s recent use of advanced Western weapons to strike Russian territory, Reuters reports.
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that the strike targeted a Ukrainian military facility with a new missile “Oreshnik” and warned that more strikes could follow. The missile, launched from Astrakhan in Russia, damaged industrial infrastructure in Dnipro and caused fires, injuring two people. Ukraine had initially claimed the missile was an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), but US officials clarified it was an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM).
This missile strike follows Ukraine’s recent use of British Storm Shadow cruise missiles and US ATACMS missiles to strike targets in Russia. Moscow called these moves a significant escalation and has responded with threats, including lowering the threshold for nuclear strikes.
