Vladimir Putin has ramped up production of a new hypersonic missile he fired into Ukraine last week, boasting that “no one in the world has such weapons.”
The Russian despot fired the new Oreshnik missile at the Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Thursday, after Ukraine fired US ATACMS and British Storm Shadow long-range missiles deep into Russia.
The Oreshnik, which means hazel, travels at a speed of approximately 13,370 kilometers per hour and can carry multiple nuclear warheads. But Putin told the Russian nation in a televised address that the missile fired at a military-industrial site in Dnipro used conventional nuclear warheads.
After the Oreshnik firing, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned Britain and America about their “reckless” action in supplying long-range missiles to Ukraine.
Peskov said: “The main message is that the reckless decisions and actions of Western countries that produce missiles, deliver them to Ukraine and then participate in attacks on Russian territory cannot continue without a response from the Russian side.”
This weekend, Putin boasted that no country in the world has the power to intercept the Oreshnik missiles, which fly ten times the speed of sound. He said: ‘There is no countermeasure against such a missile today, nor a means to intercept it.
‘And I would like to emphasize again that we will continue to test this latest system.
‘It is necessary to set up series production.’
Vladimir Putin has stepped up production of a new hypersonic missile he fired into Ukraine last week
The Russian despot fired the new Oreshnik missile at the Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Thursday, after Ukraine fired US ATACMS and British Storm Shadow long-range missiles deep into Russia.
A view shows a site of a Russian missile attack, amid the Russian attack on Ukraine, in Dnipro
Firefighters work at the scene of a Russian missile attack in Dnipro
He added: “No one in the world has such weapons. Sooner or later other leading countries will get them too. We are aware that they are evolving.”
The missile fired into Ukraine prompted the country’s parliament to cancel a session as security in Kiev was tightened.
NATO and Ukrainian leaders are expected to hold emergency talks on Tuesday.
But the West took a defiant stand against Putin last night as French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot gave Ukraine the green light to fire long-range French missiles at Russia “in the logic of self-defense.”
He did not confirm whether French weapons had been used yet, but said there were no “red lines” when it came to supporting Ukraine.
Last night, a senior Ukrainian military source said the country had lost 40 percent of the territory it had won in Russia’s Kursk region. The source said Russia had deployed 59,000 troops there, pushing back Ukrainian forces.
He said, “We controlled, at most, about 531 square miles. “Now we have about 309 miles under control.”
President Zelensky revealed yesterday that Russian drone and missile attacks have damaged 321 Ukrainian port facilities since July last year.
He added that 20 merchant ships from other countries had also been damaged by Russian attacks.
He said: “Ukrainian food exports provide food to 400 million people in 100 countries around the world. Food prices in Egypt, Libya, Nigeria and other countries in Africa directly depend on whether farmers and agricultural businesses in Ukraine can function normally.’
Last night it emerged that Putin had signed a law allowing debt cancellation of up to £76,000 for anyone who joined the army.
The law would wipe out the debts of recruits with late payments to government agencies or banks.