Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that he would increase combat test-firing of the experimental hypersonic missile, Oreshnik, which had just been launched at the Ukrainian city of Dnipro. This comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged an update in air defense systems to counter the emerging threat.
The latest pronouncements from the two presidents came in the wake of raised security alarms, which forced Ukrainian lawmakers to adjourn and suspend the work of the parliament out of fear of a missile attack. Putin said that such tests would go on, under combat conditions, depending on security threats. Confirming plans for the serial production of this new weapon also came from Putin.
Zelensky responded by saying that Ukraine is seeking modern air defense systems from allies active against the missile threat. China’s foreign ministry earlier repeated its calls for “calm” and “restraint” in the ongoing conflict after Russia confirmed the missile launch.
Zelensky assailed the Russian actions as a “mockery” of the calls for restraint from global leaders, including those from China and the Global South. The introduction of this new missile heightens tensions in the nearly three-year-long conflict, especially as Ukrainian forces continue to face challenges on the battlefield.
On Friday, Russia said that it had taken another village in eastern Ukraine. The war has already increased fears that it may escalate to a broader conflict. Putin’s warnings of potential strikes on Western nations have fueled the fears of a wider war and weakened the Russian ruble by its lowest value against the US dollar since March 2022.
In his recent speech, Putin made a statement of a right for Russia to strike against countries helping Ukraine, with implications of the Oreshnik missile being engaged in any further strikes. Experts consider it a missile able to fly up to tenfold faster than the speed of sound, striking targets 5,500 kilometers-about 3,400 miles-away, which will allow it to threaten Ukraine’s European allies but not the United States.
Describing the situation as “the latest bout of Russian madness,” Zelensky called for allies to ramp up air defense support for Ukraine as, he repeats, the missile threat simply cannot be overlooked, especially when Ukrainian forces are already on the defensive.
According to reports from the Ukrainian military, Russian forces are moving forward by about 200-300 meters daily near the hotspot logistic hub of Kurakhove in the eastern Donetsk region. Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov commented that ongoing military activity has significantly strained Ukraine’s best units.
Fearing a strike, the parliament in Kyiv canceled its regular Friday session. Legislators deemed the risks of an attack too high and opted to work remotely. Unlike other areas of the capital, this district had never been bombed.
Analysts said both sides are competing for gains on the battlefield as the ground shifts politically, ahead of the January 2025 US presidential inauguration of Donald Trump, who has vowed to end the war.
The Oreshnik missile attack on Dnipro was reportedly meant for an aerospace manufacturing facility, drawing immediate condemnation from Ukraine’s allies and leaving local residents in shock. A strong explosion sounded, witnesses said, with extensive damage throughout; one boiler room even collapsed under the force of the blast.
While some of Putin’s supporters sounded quite confident in how resilient Russia would prove to be, others in Moscow did raise a concern about nuclear conflict-a reflection of the deep divisions in public sentiment over the war.
