President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday said that the Russian attack at a Ukrainian military facility with a new type of ballistic missile was a “clear and severe escalation” in the war and called for strong worldwide condemnation.
Russia fired a hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile at the Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Thursday in retaliation to the US and UK allowing Kyiv to strike Russian territory with advanced Western weapons.
“This is a clear and severe escalation in the scale and brutality of this war,” Zelenskyy wrote on X, referring to a strike on the central city of Dnipro. “The use of a ballistic missile against Ukraine today is yet more proof that Russia has no interest in peace.”
The Ukrainian President added that Russia’s attack on its territory using a new type of ballistic missile was the second step toward escalation as the first step was involving North Korea in the war “with a contingent of at least 11,000 soldiers.”
“The use of a ballistic missile against Ukraine today is yet more proof that Russia has no interest in peace. Putin lies when he claims that Ukraine’s use of long-range weapons is somehow a new step for us,” Zelenskyy added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Moscow struck a Ukrainian military facility with a new medium-range, hypersonic ballistic missile known as “Oreshnik” (the hazel) and warned that more could follow. He assured that civilians would be warned ahead of further strikes with such weapons.
Moscow’s attack comes after Ukraine used US and UK-made missiles to strike military targets deep inside Russian territory this week, escalating the conflict that has already lasted 1,000 days.
Putin said that after approval from the administration of President Joe Biden, Ukraine struck Russia with six US-made ATACMS on November 19 and with British ‘Storm Shadow’ missiles and US-made HIMARS on November 21.
“From that moment, a regional conflict in Ukraine previously provoked by the West has acquired elements of a global character,” Putin said in an address to the nation carried by state television in Moscow.
China reacts
As the conflict between Russia and Ukraine intensified by firing long-range and middle-range missiles, China urged both the parties involved to remain “calm” and exercise “restraint” during the time.
“China’s stance of encouraging all parties to de-escalate the situation and commit to a political resolution of the Ukraine crisis remains unchanged. China will continue to play a constructive role in this regard,” a senior Chinese official said.
It comes as Russia’s war in Ukraine, which began in February 2022, crossed 1,000 days and currently remains at a volatile juncture with increased military strikes and geopolitical situation.
(With PTI inputs)
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