Footage shows Russia’s ‘new’ ballistic missile striking Ukraine as Putin sends warning to west

The Ukrainian air force had previously said they’d been struck by an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which would have made it the first time such a weapon was used in warfare.

However, US officials claimed it wasn’t actually an ICBM, while Russian dictator Vladimir Putin later said it was ‘a new conventional intermediate-range missile’.

So, not quite the same thing as an ICBM, which is capable of travelling at speeds of three kilometres (1.8 miles) a second.

Putin also said that the launching of the missile was done in response to Ukraine using missiles supplied by the US and UK to strike targets within Russia.

For the longest time in Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, which has left many thousands dead and driven millions from their homes, Putin’s forces were able to use equipment based in Russia to strike Ukraine, while Ukraine did not have permission from nations supplying it with munitions to strike targets in Russia.

This meant Russia could have sites within its own territory which they could use to bombard Ukraine during their invasion, while the invaded country was limited in what it could do in response.

With the recent granting of permission to use American-supplied ATACAMS and British-made Storm Shadow missiles, Ukrainians are able to do something they have been asking for.

However, Putin declared that allowing the Ukrainians to do to the Russians what the Russians have been doing to the Ukrainians since the start of his invasion would represent an escalation of the conflict, and result in a response, which has turned out to be the use of this missile.

Appearing on Russian TV, the dictator, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes, boasted that his ‘new’ missiles travelled at 10 times the speed of sound.

He said: “Modern air defence systems that exist in the world and anti-missile defences created by the Americans in Europe can’t intercept such missiles.”

Vladimir Putin said he had struck Ukraine with a ‘new’ missile that he claimed couldn’t be intercepted by modern missile defence systems. (VYACHESLAV PROKOFYEV/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Putin told Western nations that Russia was ‘ready for any developments’, adding: “If anyone still doubts this, they shouldn’t. There will always be a response.”

He went on to threaten to use the missiles in strikes against countries that were providing weapons for the defence of Ukraine, saying: “We believe that we have the right to use our weapons against military facilities of the countries that allow to use their weapons against our facilities.

“And in case of escalation of aggressive actions we will respond resolutely in a mirror way.”

In response to the missile attack, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said: “Today, our insane neighbour has once again shown what they truly are, and how they despise dignity, freedom, and human life itself. And how terrified they are.”

The warhead was armed with a non-nuclear payload and was targeted at the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, with the Ukrainian air force saying in a statement that the city was attacked by ‘missiles of various types’, including an ICMB ‘launched from the Astrakhan region of the Russian Federation’.

In the statement, the Ukrainian air force said that several other missiles were fired at the city, with them able to shoot down six of them.

The Ukrainian accusation of Russia attacking them with an ICBM comes after a recent escalation in the conflict when the US finally allowed Ukraine to fire longer range missiles, known as ATACMS, at targets in Russia.

Following the American approval of missile strikes in Russia, the UK followed suit and gave Ukraine permission to use the longer range Storm Shadow missiles, with Ukrainian forces having since used them on targets within Russian territory.

Ukraine had long asked for permission to fire missiles into Russia as, since the invasion, the country has been bombarded by Putin’s forces and not been granted permission to use the weapons provided to them to strike targets inside Russia.

Responding to questions about the use of an ICMB in Ukraine, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters he had ‘nothing to say’, saying it was a ‘question for our military’.

After the US gave permission for Ukraine to use ATACMS against targets in Russia, Russian president Vladimir Putin said that the invading nation had updated their nuclear doctrine.

As a result, they would consider any attack from a non-nuclear state that came with the participation of a nuclear power as a joint attack.

While the warhead Ukraine says Russia fired at it did not contain a nuclear payload, it is a demonstration that Russia has the capability to fire a missile, which can carry a nuclear warhead and strike targets almost anywhere in the world.

It has been over 1,000 days since Vladimir Putin sent troops to invade Ukraine. (VYACHESLAV PROKOFYEV/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Putin had previously claimed that NATO countries allowing Ukraine to use weapons to strike targets in Russian territory would mean that Russia and NATO were at war.

The US also recently supplied Ukraine with landmines in an effort to slow down Russian advances, while Russia has repeatedly escalated the conflict, including bringing in North Korean troops to bolster their numbers.

It has been over 1,000 days since Putin first sent his troops into Ukraine for his brutal invasion, which has killed many thousands and forced millions from their homes.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky recently said that his country would lose the war if the US pulled funding, with the future of the conflict in doubt following a Republican victory in the US elections.

Incoming US president Donald Trump has claimed he will end the war within 24 hours, though has not given details on how this will be achieved, and there are fears that his closeness with Putin would lead to him removing support for Ukraine.

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also declared martial law and urged citizens not to panic as Russia launched military strikes on the country, while the country’s foreign minister called it a ‘full-scale invasion’.

Putin announced his decision during a televised address on Thursday morning (24 Feb), claiming that the move was a response to threats from Ukraine.

The agency said that the Russian troops unleashed an artillery barrage as part of an attack backed by Belarus and Ukrainian border guards were firing back, adding that there was no immediate report of casualties.

Russia’s military said it had targeted Ukrainian air bases and other military assets and had not targeted populated areas.

Explosions were heard in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv as well as Odesa and Kharkiv following Vladimir Putin’s announcement that the military operation had begun.

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The sound of distant blasts were picked up in a live broadcast from CNN, causing reporter Matthew Chance to put on a flak jacket.

The Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, added that Russia has launched a ‘full-scale invasion of Ukraine’.

Mr Kuleba said that Ukraine would defend itself against the Russian aggression ‘and will win’.

He said: “Putin has just launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Peaceful Ukrainian cities are under strikes.

“This is a war of aggression. Ukraine will defend itself and will win. The world can and must stop Putin. The time to act is now.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Putin has ‘chosen a path of bloodshed and destruction’ with his attack on Ukraine and that the UK and its allies would respond ‘decisively’.

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A Downing Street spokesperson said the Prime Minister will chair a Cobra committee meeting at 7.30am to discuss the response to the ‘horrific attacks’.

In a statement on Twitter, Mr Johnson said he had spoken with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss ‘next steps’.

“I am appalled by the horrific events in Ukraine and I have spoken to President Zelenskyy to discuss next steps,” he said.

“President Putin has chosen a path of bloodshed and destruction by launching this unprovoked attack on Ukraine.

“The UK and our allies will respond decisively.”

According to the country’s Ministry of Defence, the missile was launched from the Admiral Gorshkov warship, travelling from the Barents Sea to a practice target in the waters of the White Sea.

Posting a video of the Zircon firing, said to be conducted as part of a test of new weapons, the Russian Defence Federation said in a statement: “According to objective control data, the hypersonic Zircon cruise missile successfully hit a sea target located at a distance of about 1,000 km.

“The hypersonic missile’s flight met the specified parameters.”

The weapon was fired for the first time in October 2020, months before Vladimir Putin’s attack on Ukraine.

It was previously claimed that because the Zircon flies so fast and low – up to nine times the speed of sound – it cannot be detected by US missile interceptor systems.

Speaking of the latest video, shared on 28 May, state-run broadcaster TV Zvezda said: “The Russian Zircon hypersonic missile’s stealth features have been disclosed…

“The speed of the Zircon hypersonic missile is so high that it prevents the opponent’s air defence system from detecting its impact in time. In fact, its launch will be known only after the target has been hit.”

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Putin previously said the deployment of the Zircon missile, one of several hypersonic weapons being developed in Russia, forms an important part of its military presence.

“Now, it is especially important to develop and implement the technologies necessary to create new hypersonic weapons systems, high-powered lasers and robotic systems that will be able to effectively counter potential military threats, which means they will further strengthen the security of our country,” he said in a televised statement last November.

The latest missile test unfolded near Finland and Sweden, both countries which recently ended their neutrality status by sending a joint application to NATO in response to Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine.

“The applications you have made today are an historic step. Allies will now consider the next steps on your path to NATO.”

Some believe the launch could have been a warning shot after Russia threatened ‘retaliatory action’ should the countries join the Western military alliance.

The Ukrainian brewery’s special drop has an image of the Russian President sitting on a throne over a river of blood with a bomb in one hand on the label.

Insidenova reports that Ornery Beer Company CEO Randy Barnett batched 3,000 cans with the Pravada Brewery’s original label to help raise funds for Ukrainian relief.

He said: “It’s obviously not a very flattering caricature of Putin and there is little details about all the atrocities and everything terrible he has done through the years.”

Barnett added: “Everyone loves this! Obviously, the whole world is uniting around Ukraine and the brewing community is a big community, they want to always be looking to help, we’re a very charitable group.”

WTOP News reports that Ornery Beer Company and other Virginian breweries, including Winchester Brew Works, Lake Anne Brew House, Fair Winds Brewing, and Caboose Brewing, hope to raise US$20,000 from selling the beer through the Brew for Ukraine initiative.

Pravada Brewery first gained international attention earlier this year after they shifted their production of beers to create Molotov cocktails for Ukrainians.

Since then, the Lviv based company has also inspired other breweries worldwide to supply beers to raise money for the crisis relief project.

Torchlight Brewing was also among the companies that wanted to assist refugees of the war-torn country in any way they could, according to Infotel.

Owner Craig Swendson said: “They [Pravada] put out a call to the international brewing community to help the situation with fundraising.”

He added: “As part of the larger effort, Pravda put their recipes online to let anyone brew them for this fundraiser including their label art.”

The Torchlight Brewing owner also revealed that what started as a ‘marketing’ ploy soon became a much more meaningful project.

He said: “I thought it would get us some attention and be good marketing… but it’s really got a lot of worldwide attention and it’s accelerated really fast. It feels really good to be involved with this and do something constructive in such a tough time for so many people.”

And with that in mind, I’m sure we’re gonna see many more ‘Putin is a D**khead’ beers popping up around the world.