Ukraine war latest: Zelensky says Putin using country as missile testing ground

Analysts and observers say that the loosening of restrictions on Ukraine’s use of Western missiles is unlikely to change the the course of the war, but it puts the Russian army in a more vulnerable position and could complicate the logistics that are crucial in warfare.

“It is an important move and it pulls against, undermines the narrative that Putin had been trying to establish that it was fine for Russia to rain down Iranian drones and North Korean missiles on Ukraine but a reckless escalation for Ukraine to use Western-supplied weapons at legitimate targets in Russia,” said Peter Ricketts, a former UK national security adviser who now sits in the House of Lords.

Vladimir Putin has claimed Moscow launched a new hypersonic ballistic missile against Ukraine in response for long-range strikes by Kyiv inside Russia using UK and US long-range missiles.

The Russian leader said the “Oreshnik,” or Hazel, medium-range missile had been used in some of its latest strikes. Earlier, Ukraine’s air force said Russia had fired a intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in an attack on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro – in what would be the first recorded use of the weapon during war

Ukrainian air defence forces said the missile – that has a range of more than 3,400 miles and can be used to carry nuclear warheads – was fired from Russia’s Astrakhan region, on the Caspian Sea. However, American officials said an initial US assessment indicated the strike was carried out with an intermediate-range ballistic missile which cannot travel so far, something backed by Putin’s remarks.

My colleague Alex Croft has the full report:

While refusing to confirm whether the UK had given permission for long range missiles to be fired by Ukraine into Russian territory, Defence secretary John Healey expressed little surprise at the reports Russia had fired a new ballistic missile at the country.

He told MPs: “There are unconfirmed media reports today of Russia firing a new ballistic missile into Ukraine which we know they have been preparing for months.”

He warned: “This is a serious time. Intelligence reveals that the frontline is less stable than at any time since the Russian invasion in 2022.

“We have seen in recent weeks a very clear escalation from Putin and his forces. They have stepped up attacks on energy systems in Ukraine, ahead of winter. They have stepped up attacks on civilian centres, killing children. At least 10,000 North Korean troops have been sent to the front line.”

Joe Biden dropped his opposition to Ukraine firing US missiles at on Russian territory in response to North Korea’s entry to the war, in a shift which took on extra urgency following Donald Trump’s election victory, sources familiar with the matter have told Reuters.

Moscow’s decision to deploy North Korean soldiers to Russia’s Kursk region represented a major escalation that demanded a response, a senior US official and two other sources familiar with the matter said.

Mr Trump’s victory added pressure on the Biden Administration to loosen the rules on the use of the weapons and take other steps to bolster Ukraine as it suffers repeated setbacks on the battlefield, according to two other sources familiar with the matter.

Easing controls on the use of the missiles was intended to send a message to the North Koreans and Russians that the shift was unacceptable, as well as hamper their efforts to push Ukrainians out of Kursk, a senior US official familiar with the administration’s thinking said.

The official acknowledged that relaxing the restrictions risked a further escalation of the conflict – but noted that Russia has so far taken no action against states other than Ukraine, while a congressional aide told the news agency that they believed the new policy only applied to the Kursk region.

Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that Russia’s attack on Ukraine using a new type of hypersonic mid-range ballistic missile was a “severe escalation” of the brutality of Vladimir Putin’s war.

“This is a clear and severe escalation in the scale and brutality of this war,” Zelenskiy wrote on X, referring to the strike on the central city of Dnipro. “The use of a ballistic missile against Ukraine today is yet more proof that Russia has no interest in peace.”

He added: “Putin is not only prolonging the war – he is spitting in the face of those in the world who genuinely want peace to be restored.

“The world must respond. Right now, there is no strong reaction from the world … A lack of tough reactions to Russia’s actions sends a message that such behavior is acceptable.”

Russia’s alleged use of a long-range ballistic missile for the first time in its war with Ukraine is “another example of reckless behaviour” by Moscow, Downing Street has said.

Asked if he could confirm reports an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) had been used by Russia in Ukraine, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “My understanding is that it is the first time that Russia has used a ballistic missile in Ukraine with a range of several thousand kilometres.

“This is obviously deeply concerning. It is another example of reckless behaviour from Russia, which only serves to strengthen our resolve in terms of standing by Ukraine for as long as it takes.”

Initial unconfirmed reports from Ukraine had suggested the weapon was an ICBM, but No 10 was cautious not to use this term for a specific type of weapon.

The United States was pre-notified by Russia shortly before its strike with an experimental intermediate-range ballistic missile on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro through nuclear risk reduction channels, a US official has told Reuters.

“The US was pre-notified briefly before the launch through nuclear risk reduction channels,” the official said.

Storm Shadow is an Anglo-French cruise missile with a maximum range of around 155 miles (250km). The French call it Scalp.

After launch, the weapon, equipped with its navigation system, descends to a low altitude to avoid detection before locking on to its target using an infra-red seeker. On the final approach, the missile climbs to a higher altitude to maximise the chances of hitting the target.

On impact, it penetrates the target before a delayed fuse detonates the main warhead. Powered by a turbo-jet engine, the 1,300kg Storm Shadow travels at speeds of more than 600mph, is just over five metres long and has a wingspan of three metres.

My colleagues Arpan Rai and Rachel Hagan have more details in this report: