Moscow will continue using a powerful new missile in its war against Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin said amid a major escalation in the conflict.
Putin’s remarks late Friday came after the Russian military fired a new ballistic missile at the Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Thursday.
Russia’s military threats reached new heights this week after the U.S. allowed Ukraine to use its ballistic missiles to hit Russian targets.
In a press conference on Friday, Putin said that the so-called Oreshnik high-speed missile had been successfully tested on Dnipro and that he intends to continue using the weapon on the battlefield.
“We will continue these trials, including in combat environment, depending on the situation and security threats to Russia,” Putin said, according to the Russian news agency TASS.
The Russian leader said that the Oreshnik missile, which means hazel tree in Russian, flew at 10 times the speed of sound and could not be intercepted by air defense systems.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attack on Dnipro amounted to “a clear and severe escalation” in the war and was “yet more proof that Russia has no interest in peace.”