The NATO and Ukraine They will hold emergency talks on Tuesday after Russia attacked a central city with an experimental hypersonic ballistic missile that escalated the nearly 33-month war.
The conflict is “entering a decisive phase,” Poland’s Prime Minister said on FridayDonald Tusk, y “It is acquiring very dramatic dimensions.”
Ukraine’s parliament canceled a session as security was tightened following Thursday’s Russian attack on a military facility in the city of Dnipro.
In a stark warning to the West, President Vladimir Putin He said in a nationally televised address to his nation that the attack with the intermediate-range Oreshnik missile was retaliation for kyiv’s use of longer-range U.S. and British missiles capable of penetrating deeper into Russian territory.
Putin said Western air defense systems would be unable to stop the new missile.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskovmaintained the bellicose tone on Friday, blaming “the reckless decisions and actions of Western countries” in supplying Ukraine with weapons to attack Russia. “The Russian side has clearly demonstrated its capabilities, and the contours of future retaliatory actions in case our concerns are not taken into account have also been outlined quite clearly.”said.
The Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbánwidely considered to have the warmest relations with the Kremlin in the European Union, echoed Moscow’s talking points, suggesting that the use of US-supplied weapons in Ukraine would likely require direct US involvement .
“These are rockets that are fired and then guided to a target through an electronic system, requiring the world’s most advanced technology and satellite communications capability.”Orbán said on state radio. “There is a strong assumption… that these missiles cannot be guided without the assistance of US personnel.”
Orbán warned against underestimating Russia’s responses, emphasizing that the country’s recent modifications to its nuclear deployment doctrine should not be dismissed as a “bluff.” “It’s not a trick… there will be consequences,” he said.
On the other hand, the Czech Foreign Minister, Jan Lipavský, arrived in kyiv and published on social networks that he wanted to know “how Ukrainians are dealing with the bombings, how Czech projects are working on the ground and how to best target international aid in the coming months.”
Three deputies of the Ukrainian parliament, the Council of Faithconfirmed that the session scheduled for Friday was suspended due to the constant threat of Russian missiles against government buildings in the center of kyiv.
In addition, it was also recommended to limit the work of all commercial offices and non-governmental organizations “in that perimeter, and local residents were warned of the growing threat,” said the deputy. Mykyta Poturaievwho added that this is not the first time that a threat of this type has been received.
The president’s office Volodimir Zelensky continued to work in accordance with standard safety measures, a spokesperson said.
Ukraine’s General Intelligence Directorate said the Oreshnik missile, whose name means “hazel” in Russian, was fired from the 4th Kapustin Yar Missile Testing Rangein the Russian region of Astrakhan, and flew 15 minutes before hitting Dnipro. The missile had six non-nuclear warheads, each containing six submunitions, and reached a speed of Mach 11, he said.
Test launches of a similar missile were carried out in October 2023 and June 2024, the management said.
The Pentagon confirmed that Russia’s missile was a new experimental type of intermediate-range missile based on its intercontinental ballistic missile. RS-26 Rubezh.
Elsewhere in Ukraine, Russia attacked a residential district of Sumy overnight with Iranian-designed Shahed drones, killing two people and wounding 13, the regional administration said.
Ukrainian media Suspilne, citing Sumy regional head Volodymyr Artiukh, said the drones were packed with shrapnel items. “These weapons are used to destroy people, not to destroy objects,” Artiukh said, according to Suspilne.
(With information from AP)
