Putin vows more tests of nuclear-capable missiles fired at Ukraine

By Global Watch and AFP | 2024-11-25

Russian President Vladimir Putin on November 22 promised more combat test-firing of the experimental hypersonic nuclear-capable missile recently launched at Ukraine.

A day after Moscow fired the new missile at the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, Putin said there would be more tests of the new Oreshnik missile.

"We will continue these tests, including in combat conditions, depending on the situation and character of the security threats posed to Russia," Putin said in a televised meeting with military chiefs.

Russia would also begin serial production of the experimental weapon, he added.

On November 22, China's foreign ministry had repeated its call for "calm" and "restraint" in the war after Russia confirmed it had fired the missile.

"From Russia, this is a mockery of the position of states such as China, states of the Global South, some leaders who call for restraint every time," said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a video address.

"They are playing a nuclear gamble," European Union (EU) foreign affairs spokesman Peter Stano told reporters of Moscow last week.

"Whether they really mean it, it's very hard to foresee. We don't see in their heads. We only know that this is irresponsible and this constitutes a global threat," Stano said.

Increasing tensions

The introduction of the new weapon onto the battlefield has further raised tensions in the nearly three-year-long war.

Hints by Putin on November 21 of strikes on Western countries raised fears of the war spilling over into a global conflict.

That prospect sent the Russian ruble plunging a day later to its lowest level against the US dollar since March 2022.

In a hawkish address to the nation, Putin said Russia reserved the right to fire missiles at countries that allow Kyiv to hit Russian territory with their weapons, after the United States and United Kingdom gave Kyiv the green light to do so.

Those strikes could be by the new Oreshnik missile.

Weapon analysts say it flies at 10 times the speed of sound and may be able to strike targets up to 5,500km away.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk expressed the alarm felt by some in Europe November 22, speaking at a teachers' union event.

"The war in the east is entering a decisive phase. We all know this...," he said.

"The events of the last several dozen hours show that the threat is very serious and real when it comes to global conflict," he added.

Branding the strike "this latest bout of Russian madness," Zelenskyy on November 22 urged Ukraine's allies to step up their provision of air defenses.

"Whatever the Russian missile threat, it cannot be ignored," he added.

Moscow is accused of deploying thousands of North Korean troops to the border region of Kursk, where it is massing forces to wrest back territory seized by Ukrainian forces.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin November 23 said that about 10,000 North Koreans were being trained and "integrated into the Russian formations."

"I fully expect to see them engaged in combat soon," he told reporters during a stopover in the Pacific island nation Fiji.