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Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses the nation on Nov. 21, 2024, from the Kremlin. (AP/Yonhap)

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that Russia had launched a new hypersonic intermediate-range missile at Ukraine after Western countries authorized Ukraine to fire long-range missiles they had supplied into Russian territory.

Russia’s TASS state-owned news agency quoted Putin as saying that Russia is “conducting combat tests of the Oreshnik missile system in response to NATO’s aggressive actions against Russia” during a public speech televised Thursday by a state-run broadcaster.

Putin said the strike involving the Oreshnik hypersonic missile had been a test launch. “The tests were successful, achieving the intended objective of the launch,” the Russian leader said.

The strike targeted military facilities in the city of Dnipro, in central Ukraine. TASS reported that the missile hit a Ukrainian state-owned plant called Yuzhmash that produces launch vehicles and ballistic missiles.

TASS added that while Oreshnik — whose name literally means “hazel bush” — can carry nuclear warheads, this launch delivered a conventional warhead.

Prior to Putin’s speech, the Ukrainian air force announced that Russia had launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) at Dnipro early on Thursday.

But Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Russia had notified the US 30 minutes before launching the hypersonic missile at Ukraine.

Putin said that Russia will recommend civilians and others leave danger zones ahead of any launches.  

“We will do so for humanitarian reasons, openly and publicly, without fear of counter-moves coming from the enemy, who will also be receiving this information,” Putin said in the speech, adding that Russia has no fear because “no means of countering such weapons today.”

Putin explained that Oreshnik can strike a target at a speed of Mach 10, or 2.5-3 km per second. “Air defense systems currently available in the world and missile defense systems being created by the Americans in Europe cannot intercept such missiles. It is impossible,” he boasted.

Russia has recently struck Ukraine with other missiles capable of holding nuclear warheads, such as the Iskander ballistic missile and the Kh-101 cruise missile.

“What makes the intermediate-range missile alarming [. . .] is its ability to fire multiple nuclear warheads when it re-enters the earth’s atmosphere,” the New York Times reported, quoting Tom Karako, the head of the missile defense project at the US-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Putin also mentioned the possibility of striking Western countries that have supplied Ukraine with long-range missiles. “We consider ourselves entitled to use our weapons against military facilities of those countries that allow to use their weapons against our facilities,” he said.

Putin’s remarks amount to retaliation for Ukraine’s first strike on Russian soil with the US-manufactured ATACMS long-range missile after US President Joe Biden lifted restrictions on the missile’s range on Monday.

Ukraine fired the ATACMS missile at Russia’s Bryansk region on Tuesday and followed that up the next day with a strike on Russian positions in Kursk with the Franco-British Storm Shadow cruise missile.

Russia responded to the US’ moves on Tuesday by approving changes to its nuclear doctrine that lower the threshold for using nuclear weapons.

“In case of an escalation of aggressive actions, we will respond decisively and in mirror-like manner,” Putin also said in his speech.

By Jang Ye-ji, Berlin correspondent

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