In a warning issued to western that have continued to supply arms to Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday stated that he has ordered an attack on Ukraine with a new intermediate-range ballistic missile in response to Ukraine firing U.S. and British-supplied longer-range weapons to hit targets inside Russia.
Putin who spoke through a televised address on Thursday stated that the attack was a test for the new weapons that the country had reserved the right to it usage on nations that have decided to provide weapons to Ukraine.
Sigh stated that it was a new type of lethal capability that was deployed on the battlefield, so that was certainly of concern.
She noted that before the attack Russia had notified US officials about the looming attack, using nuclear risk reduction communication channels, she said. The missile can carry a conventional or nuclear warhead.
While speaking Putin issued a warning to the countries that have been issuing weapons to Ukraine he noted that the countries could be targeted if they continue.
Putin stated that the country has the right to use any of its weapons against any nation that has decided to use its own against its own military facilities.
Russia has plenty of other less refined weapons that could have hit targets in eastern Ukraine without drawing on its strategic arsenal. But by using an intermediate-range missile, a weapon capable of striking far beyond Ukraine and which can carry a nuclear warhead, Moscow was sending a warning signal to both Ukraine, Washington and other NATO states, analysts said.
It was explained that Intermediate-range ballistic missiles have a range of less than 3,500 miles. An intercontinental ballistic missile has a larger range of over 3,500 miles and was developed during the Cold War by both the Soviet Union and the United States as part of each side’s nuclear arsenal.
In a recent briefing by the Biden administration with Ukraine and other allies, the US official disclosed that Russia may be using the new weapon to help them prepare.
The US has gone on to state that Russian officials will not be allowed to bully Ukraine as other countries plus the US will be helping Kyiv to stop the invasion of the Russian forces.
US officials stated that Russia may be seeking to use this capability to intimidate Ukraine and its supporters or generate attention in the information space, but it will not be a game changer in this conflict.
The official further disclosed that the Biden administration will continue to send air defense systems, ammunition and other military hardware to Ukraine through the end of the president’s term.
The news comes as Ukrainian forces used their first long-range U.S. and British missiles to strike Russian soil after Washington and its allies lifted restrictions on Kyiv a move that Moscow had long warned would be met with a significant response.
Putin this week lowered the bar for his country’s use of a nuclear weapon, a move that was dismissed by Western officials as the latest instance of Russian sabre rattling in the war, which has now lasted more than 1,000 days.
In a message issued by Ukeriane on Thursday Ukraine had accused Moscow of launching an ICBM at the eastern city of Dnipro in an overnight attack, which would have marked the first recorded use of an ICBMin an active conflict and the latest escalation by the Kremlin.
The US officials have stated that the account state was not true stating that Putin himself came out and identified the weapon as an intermediate-range ballistic missile.
Serhii Lysak, the head of the Dnipro regional authority, on Telegram, stated that two people were injured in the attack. However, it noted that 15 people were injured in the attack which took place separately attack on the eastern city of Kryvyi Rih, according to the local authorities.
In a statement released on Tuesday Putin announced the reversal of the Nuclear doctrine of the country. The document released detailed the conditions under which Moscow would consider using nuclear weapons — with the change justifying a nuclear strike by Russia if attacked by a nonnuclear country that is supported by a nuclear state.
Eventually, critics say, there are likelihood of the Kremlin opting to use nuclear weapons in its war with Ukraine is very slim particularly now, when its military is advancing and its opponent is worn down.
Russian forces have seized the acceleration in recent months and eked out a series of territorial progress, especially on the eastern front lines. They have also been backed by thousands of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s troops in their search to retake occupied land in Russia’s Kursk border region.
The decision by the West to relax the use of long-range weapons by Ukraine may encourage Kyiv but will likely do little to transform the battlefield situation, analysts said, despite the dire nature of the Kremlin’s rhetorical reaction
Alexander Bollfrass, head of strategy, technology and arms control at the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank has stated that with the stage of the conflict, the risk of Russian nuclear use is lower than before. Political and battlefield developments favor Russia, so there is little to gain by escalating the conflict to the nuclear level.
In complement to the unclear military benefits of deploying those weapons, there would also be diplomatic weaknesses.
Bollfrass also noted that the Nuclear weapons se would risk alienating China and other non-Western countries whose support or neutrality is key to maintaining the Russian war economy. Bollfrass further noted that this would also get the relationship with the incoming Trump administration off to a very dangerous start
