Putin Confirms Russia’s Launch of New Ballistic Missile at Ukraine

The move follows U.S. President Joe Biden’s recent policy shift, greenlighting Kyiv’s use of American-provided long-range missiles to target locations within Russia. This change led Ukraine to deploy U.S.-made Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) to strike Russia’s Bryansk region on Tuesday. Reports also indicate Ukraine has utilized British Storm Shadow missiles for strikes within Russian territory this week. Additionally, Biden reversed his stance on supplying Ukraine with anti-personnel landmines.

Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh confirmed on Thursday that Russia launched an experimental missile, describing it during a press briefing as a “new type of lethal capability” that is “of concern” to the United States. Singh noted that Russia had provided the U.S. with advance notice of the attack.

Earlier in the day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of escalating the conflict by firing an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) into Ukraine. On social media, Zelenskyy referred to the launch as a “clear and severe escalation in the scale and brutality of this war” and highlighted it as another example of Russian escalation, following Moscow’s deployment of thousands of North Korean troops to bolster its forces in the conflict.

In his nightly address on Thursday, Zelenskyy called Russia’s decision to use the missile a demonstration of “how terrified” Moscow is of Ukrainian resistance.