By Anastasia Teterevleva and Maxim Rodionov
MOSCOW (Reuters) – President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russia would continue testing its new Oreshnik hypersonic missile in combat and had a stockpile ready for use, while Ukraine said it was already working to develop aerial systems to counter the weapon.
Putin spoke a day after Russia fired the new intermediate-range weapon at Ukraine for the first time, a step he said was prompted by Ukraine’s use of American ballistic missiles and British cruise missiles to attack Russia. .
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said kyiv was working with its Western partners to come up with systems to counter “new risks.”
Putin described the first use of the Oreshnik (hazelnut) as a successful test and said more would follow.
“We will continue these tests, including in combat conditions, depending on the situation and the nature of the security threats that are created for Russia,” he said in televised comments to defense officials and missile developers.
“In addition, we have a stock of these products, a stock of these systems ready for use.”
A US official, however, said the weapon used by Russia was experimental. The official said Russia has a limited number of them and this is not a capability Russia can regularly deploy on the battlefield.
The intermediate missiles have a range of 3,000 to 5,500 kilometers (1,860 to 3,415 miles), which would allow them to strike anywhere in Europe or the western United States from Russia.
Security experts said the novel feature of the Oreshnik missile was that it carried multiple warheads capable of simultaneously attacking different targets, something normally associated with longer-range intercontinental ballistic missiles designed to carry nuclear warheads.
Ukraine said the missile reached a top speed of more than 13,000 kilometers per hour (8,000 mph) and took about 15 minutes to reach its target from launch.
The missile launch was part of a sharp rise in tensions this week, as both Ukraine and Russia have attacked each other’s territory with increasingly powerful weapons.
Moscow says that by giving Ukraine the green light to fire Western missiles into Russia, the United States and its allies are entering into direct conflict with Russia. On Tuesday, Putin approved policy changes that lowered the threshold for Russia to use nuclear weapons in response to an attack with conventional weapons.
SEVERE CLIMBING
Zelenskiy, speaking in his late-night video address, described Russia’s use of the new missile as an escalation.
“On my behalf, the Minister of Defense of Ukraine is already holding meetings with our partners on new air defense systems capable of protecting lives from new risks,” he said.
“When someone starts using other countries not only for terrorist purposes, but also to test their new missiles through terrorist acts, then it is clearly an international crime.”
Ukrainians, he said, must remain alert.
“We must be aware that ‘Comrade’ Putin will continue to try to intimidate us,” he said. “That’s how he built all his power.”
The Kremlin said the Oreshnik shot was a warning to the West against taking further “reckless” actions and decisions in support of Ukraine.
The Oreshnik was fired with conventional warheads, not nuclear ones. Putin said it was not a strategic nuclear weapon, but its striking power and precision meant its impact would be comparable, “especially when used in a massive group and in combination with other high-precision long-range systems.”
He said the missile could not be shot down by an enemy.
“I will add that today in the world there is no countermeasure for such a missile, no means to intercept it,” he said.
“And once again I emphasize that we will continue to test this new system. It is necessary to establish serial production.”