Russia says hypersonic missile strike on Ukraine was a warning to 'reckless' West
The Kremlin said that a strike on Ukraine using a newly developed hypersonic ballistic missile was a message to the West that Moscow will respond harshly to any "reckless" Western actions in support of Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was speaking a day after President Vladimir Putin said Moscow had fired the new missile - the Oreshnik or Hazel Tree - at a Ukrainian military facility in response to Kyiv striking Russia with US-made and British-made missiles this week for the first time after the US granted its approval.
"The main message is that the reckless decisions and actions of Western countries that produce missiles, supply them to Ukraine, and subsequently participate in strikes on Russian territory cannot remain without a reaction from the Russian side," Peskov told reporters.
"The Russian side has clearly demonstrated its capabilities, and the contours of further retaliatory actions in the event that our concerns are not taken into account have been quite clearly outlined," he said.
Moscow has said it regards Ukraine's firing of ATACMS and Storm Shadow missiles into Russia as proof of direct US and British involvement in the war.
It says satellite targeting data and the actual programming of the missiles' flight paths must be done by NATO military personnel because Kyiv does not have the capabilities itself.
Putin said Moscow had struck a missile and defence enterprise in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, where missile and space rocket company Pivdenmash, known as Yuzhmash by Russians, is based.
Peskov said he hoped that the US had received and understood Moscow's message.
(Reuters)
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