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Putin threatens UK with new ballistic missile as Ukraine war escalates

21 Nov 2024 4 minute read
Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump confer. Picture by the Kremlin (CC BY 4.0).

Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to strike the UK with a new ballistic missile after using the weapon to hit a target in Ukraine.

Downing Street condemned Mr Putin for further escalating the conflict by using a ballistic missile with a range of “several thousand kilometres” against the city of Dnipro.

Mr Putin suggested the missile could be used to hit Kyiv’s allies who have given Ukraine permission to use Western-supplied weapons to hit targets within Russia.

The UK is believed to have allowed its Storm Shadow missiles to be used by Ukrainian forces within the Kursk region of Russia, while the US has given permission for its ATACMS weapons to be fired at targets in Mr Putin’s country.

Mr Putin confirmed Russia has tested a new intermediate-range weapon, saying it came in response to Ukrainian strikes on the Russian territory with US and British missiles earlier this week.

The Russian leader declared that Russia would issue advance warnings before strikes on other countries to allow civilians to evacuate to safety.

Address

“In response to the use of American and British long-range weapons on November 21 of this year, the Russian armed forces launched a combined strike on one of the facilities of the Ukrainian defence industry,” Mr Putin said in a televised address.

“One of the newest Russian medium-range missile systems was tested in combat conditions, in this case, with a ballistic missile in a non-nuclear hypersonic warhead.”

He added: “We consider ourselves entitled to use our weapons against military facilities of those countries that allow their weapons to be used against our facilities.”

In Westminster, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “My understanding is that it is the first time that Russia has used a ballistic missile in Ukraine with a range of several thousand kilometres.”

No 10 said it was “an example of escalatory behaviour from Russia”.

But the Prime Minister’s spokesman added it “only serves to strengthen our resolve and to ensure that Ukraine has what it needs to act in self-defence against Russia’s reckless and illegal invasion”.

The missile’s range far outstrips that of newly authorised US and British supplied weapons.

The distance from Moscow to London is around 2,500km, suggesting the range of the new missile could threaten the UK.

Russia’s military claims it has shot down two British-made Storm Shadow missiles, following reports that debris from the weapons had been discovered in the country’s Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces have launched an incursion.

“Serious moment”

Defence Secretary John Healey earlier revealed to a committee of MPs that the UK knew Russia had been “preparing for months” to fire a new ballistic missile.

Mr Healey warned Ukraine faces a “serious moment” in its defence against Mr Putin’s invasion, but refused to confirm that Kyiv had been given permission to use Storm Shadow in Russia.

Downing Street and the Ministry of Defence have repeatedly declined to comment publicly on the use of Storm Shadow.

“It risks both operational security and in the end the only one that benefits from such a public debate is President Putin,” the Defence Secretary told MPs.

Battle lines in Ukraine are now “less stable than at any time since the early days of the full-scale Russian invasion”, Mr Healey said, citing British intelligence.

Speaking at the same time, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer told the House of Commons the UK “will not be deterred or distracted by reckless threats” from Mr Putin, who has lowered the threshold for using his nuclear arsenal.

Sir Keir also insisted that all the UK’s support for Kyiv was “in accordance with international law” and “always for self-defence”.


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Mab Meirion
Mab Meirion
17 days ago

Things used to be a lot more hush-hush, now it is on a show of hands, a war-gaming focus group, led by persons whose focus may be in an altogether unhelpful direction…

Not the way to run a peace, what a cast of characters in this film-noir on steroids…not one heroic in any way…

Mab Meirion
Mab Meirion
16 days ago
Reply to  Mab Meirion

At least Truss only crashed the economy, if these cowboys in suits don’t pack it in, it will be pick a side, winner gets the non-radioactive bits…

All aboard H.M.S. Pandora…

Have you met Hegseth, the guy soon to be in charge of the US military, oh boy !

S Duggan
S Duggan
17 days ago

All it’ll take is one clown with the jitters and we’ll all go up in smoke. It’s time the UN had more power, more control of international affairs, even a standing international army (and I don’t mean peacekeepers) to finally stop this BS. I’m sure I’m not alone in being sick of the threat of nuclear annihilation which has hung over our heads for years and has got extremely threatening recently. We don’t deserve this crap.

Garycymru
Garycymru
17 days ago

Really glad I’m not living next to the military targets that the British government have thoughtfully placed in Wales.

Mab Meirion
Mab Meirion
16 days ago
Reply to  Garycymru

There are loads you don’t know about…there always is…

jimmy
jimmy
16 days ago

“Downing Street and the Ministry of Defence have repeatedly declined to comment publicly on the use of Storm Shadow.”

Won’t be long before Starmer et al make viewing or distributing ‘unapproved’ news sources an offence.

Mab Meirion
Mab Meirion
16 days ago
Reply to  jimmy

There is small room in No 10/Tory HQ from Beaverbrook and Lloyd George days and later in Chamberlain’s time (37-40) where their ex-spook fixer Major/Sir Joseph Ball used to pull the media’s strings…

Ball, Chamberlain and Truth by R. B. Cockett The Historical Journal…

and Twilight of Truth R.B.Cockett 1989

Mab Meirion
Mab Meirion
16 days ago
Reply to  Mab Meirion

Bluff or cliff edge Clark of Kent ?

What if the former was called and we all find ourselves at the latter…!

It’s a bit silly to expect Battler Britton to leap out from those war comics we used to read only a decade after the second world war…

Best for Dying…50’s kids game now played by the clueless…

Linda Jones
Linda Jones
13 days ago

We need a deescalation of conflict and a negotiated peace but unfortunately we are governed by warmongers

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