Putin: Russia may use new missiles again after attack on Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin said his military could use the new missiles again after targeting Ukraine this week in retaliation for Kiev’s use of American and British-made weapons on Russian territory.
Russia said it launched one Oreshnik missile Thursday over the city of Dnipro, the latest escalation of hostilities in the long-running war. Putin met with defense ministry officials and weapons makers on Friday to congratulate them on the successful test.
“We will continue these tests, depending on the situation and the nature of the security threat posed to Russia, including in war situations,” the president said in televised remarks, adding that Russia has a stockpile of such weapons and has ordered mass production. to begin with.
Putin has scaled back Moscow’s use of its nuclear arsenal after President Joe Biden reversed course and allowed Ukraine to use US-supplied ATACMS missiles to attack Russia. Ukraine also launched UK-made Storm Shadow missiles against Russian targets.
The new missile is capable of reaching targets across Europe, making it superior to some long-range high-precision weapons, Sergei Karakaev, commander of Russia’s strategic missile forces, told Putin at the meeting, which was also attended by Defense Minister Andrei. Belosov.
Since the start of the war, Ukraine has persuaded Western partners to provide air-defense systems, including US-made Patriot batteries, despite initial hesitation from its allies.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday that his defense minister was meeting with partners about new systems “that can protect lives from new threats.”