U.S. officials told Fox News Digital on Thursday that such weapons could be used against Ukraine to help Ukrainian authorities prepare ahead of Russia's “experimental intermediate-range ballistic missile” attack. He admitted that he had received an explanation.
Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged the attack in an address to the nation on Thursday evening local time, in response to the joint US and UK authorization for Ukraine to use Western-supplied long-range missiles to target Russia. He said it was a direct response.
It remains unclear whether there were any casualties in the attack on the city of Dnipro, but the attack was initially reported as an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) attack, marking the first time such weapons were used during the war. It will be the first time. , causing panic around the world.
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President Putin and U.S. intelligence sources later confirmed that the attack was not an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), but the Kremlin chief also insisted that the weapon used posed a serious challenge to the West.
“The missile will hit the target at a speed of Mach 10, which is equivalent to 4.5 kilometers per second,” Putin said, according to a translation. “The world's current air defense systems and the missile defense systems developed by the Americans in Europe cannot intercept such missiles.”
Fox News Digital could not immediately confirm whether the United States or its NATO allies could defend against this latest missile, called Oreshnik.
But one U.S. official said Putin may be flaunting his abilities to intimidate the West and Ukraine.
On October 29, an intercontinental ballistic missile called Yaz was launched in northwestern Russia. (Russian Ministry of Defense Press Service, via AP)
“While we take all threats to Ukraine seriously, it's important to keep in mind some important facts: There is a high possibility that they only have a few shots in their possession.” “Ukraine has withstood countless attacks from Russia, including missiles with much larger warheads than this weapon.
“To be clear, Russia may use this capability to intimidate Ukraine and its supporters or seek to gain attention in the intelligence field, but it is a game-changer in this conflict. Not,” the official added.
US embassy in Kiev closed due to 'possibility of serious air attack' looming
After President Biden reversed his position this week to allow Ukraine to use the US-supplied Long Range Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) against mainland Russia, Kiev immediately moved to Bryansk, more than 110 miles from Russian territory. attacked a military arsenal. border of Ukraine.
Although Ukraine's military officially launches the sophisticated missile, the weapon system still relies on U.S. satellites to hit its targets, an issue Putin touched on in an unpublished speech Thursday. .
“We are testing the Oleshnik missile system under combat conditions in response to the aggressive actions of NATO countries against Russia. “We will decide on further deployment of long-range missiles,” he said.
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Firefighters work at the scene of a Russian missile attack in Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine, on Thursday. (Reporter of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Dnipropetrovsk region/Handout via Reuters)
President Putin has claimed to warn Ukrainians about impending attacks like the one carried out by Russia on Thursday, but it remains unclear whether he has issued a warning to Ukrainians living in Dnipro.
The Kremlin chief said the “defense industry” was being targeted, but images released by Ukraine's Ministry of Defense show what appears to be civilian infrastructure also caught up in the fray.
Pentagon on Thursday Confirmed that Russia notified the US This matches information obtained by Fox News Digital, but it is unclear whether Moscow has revealed which Ukrainian cities are the intended targets.
U.S. officials told FOX News Digital that the United States is committed to helping Ukraine strengthen its air defense system and has already done so by supplying Ukraine with hundreds of additional Patriot and advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles. He said he was doing it.
