Russia President Vladimir Putin says Moscow fired a new medium-range hypersonic ballistic missile at a military facility in the south-central Ukrainian city of Dnipro, in response to what he calls Western aggression after Kyiv got the green light to fire missiles deeper into Russia.
“In response to the use of American and British long-range weapons, on Nov. 21 of this year, the Russian armed forces launched a combined strike on one of the facilities of the military-industrial complex of Ukraine,” Putin said Thursday in what appeared to be a pre-recorded statement.
“We have a right to use weapons against military objects of those who use weapons against us.”
A U.S. official told Reuters that it was notified by Russia that it was going to launch the missile ahead of time, and that the U.S. then briefed Ukraine and its close allies that it could be used.
According to Ukrainian officials in Dnipro, two people were injured in the missile attack when it hit an industrial facility and what they described as a rehabilitation centre for people with disabilities.
Putin’s remarks came hours after Ukrainian officials said that it appeared that Russia used an intercontinental ballistic missile in the attack on Dnipro.
“Today there was a new Russian missile,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video statement.
“All the characteristics — speed, altitude — are [of an] intercontinental ballistic [missile].”
Intercontinental ballistic missiles are designed to fly more than 5,000 kilometres and can carry nuclear warheads or conventional ones.
If Russia had used one against Ukraine, experts say it would have been the first use of an ICBM during the war.
According to Ukraine’s air force, the missile that targeted Dnipro was fired from the Russian region of Astrakhan, more than 700 kilometres away.
‘This is political signalling’
While there has not yet been official comment from Washington, U.S. sources have told media outlets that it was an experimental missile, and Russia likely only has a handful of them.
Before Putin’s statement, Matthew Savill, the director of military sciences at the Royal United Services Institute in London, told BBC News that there may be some “quibbling” around how to label the missile, but he believed it was clear that Russia was trying to send a message.
“They’ve got plenty of missiles that are more accurate, particularly their cruise missiles,” he said.
“So this is political signalling.”
Dmytro Kuleba, former minister of foreign affairs in Ukraine, says his country must fight on in the face of Russian aggression — even after 1,000 days of bruising war that has left many in the country traumatized. ‘For the sake of the future generations, we have to defend ourselves.’
Putin said the test was about retaliation.
“I recommend that the ruling elites of those countries that are hatching plans to use their military contingents against Russia seriously think about this,” he warned in his short statement.
The U.S. recently gave Ukraine permission to fire its ATACMS weapons system deeper into Russia, while the U.K. permitted Ukraine to do the same with its Storm Shadow missiles.
Changes to nuclear doctrine
On Tuesday in response, Russia published changes to its nuclear doctrine, which lowers the threshold for what would prompt the Kremlin to authorize a nuclear attack
Russia has not commented on Ukraine’s claims that it used an ICBM. In a bizarre moment Thursday, a spokesperson for Russia’s Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, answered her cellphone during a live regularly scheduled briefing.
The voice on the line could be heard telling her not to comment on the “ballistic missile strike” at the rocket company that Western media are talking about.
Instead the comments came later in the day, front the very top.
“Putin is going to keep pushing anything he can,” said Glen Grant, a senior expert with the Riga-based Baltic Security Foundation who has worked with defence ministries in several countries, including Ukraine and Poland.
“If there is no statement back from the West about him using this missile, he’ll do more. He’s only been holding back … because he was worried we might retaliate.”
Published at Thu, 11 Apr 2024 22:52:23 +0000
Matt Gaetz drops out of consideration for next U.S. attorney general
Former U.S. congressman Matt Gaetz has pulled himself out of the running to be the nation’s attorney general under president-elect Donald Trump after several days of concern over the selection, even from Republicans.
The announcement on Thursday came after the House ethics committee deadlocked on releasing a report into allegations of Gaetz having sex with a 17-year-old girl and using illegal drugs.
The politician said he made his decision to drop out after he met with Republican senators, whose support he would have needed to secure the job.
“While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance transition. There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus I’ll be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as attorney general,” he wrote on X.
Gaetz has denied criminal wrongdoing.
Former U.S. congressman Matt Gaetz has withdrawn his name from consideration as president-elect Donald Trump’s attorney general, saying his confirmation was becoming a distraction.
Trump’s choice to have Gaetz oversee law enforcement shocked many in Washington last week. The pick also rattled many career Justice Department lawyers, who privately expressed concern about Gaetz leading the same agency that investigated sex-trafficking allegations involving underage girls.
The agency’s three-year investigation into Gaetz ended last year without charges being brought.
Gaetz’s nomination a test of Trump’s power
Trump, who has railed against the Justice Department over the two criminal cases brought against him, had described Gaetz as the right person to “root out the systemic corruption” within the department.
“He was doing very well but, at the same time, did not want to be a distraction for the Administration, for which he has much respect,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.
A spokesperson said Trump would “announce his new decision when it is made,” according to Reuters.
The nomination was an early test of Trump’s power over Congress, where his Republican Party will hold majorities in both chambers next year. Gaetz was disliked by many fellow Republicans for having orchestrated the ouster last year of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, throwing the House of Representatives into chaos for weeks.
“From everything that built up to this point, it doesn’t surprise me,” Republican Sen. Mike Braun said of Gaetz’s decision.
Other Republicans expressed disappointment.
“I had a very important relationship with Matt,” said Sen. Rick Scott, who like Gaetz is from Florida. Scott said he hopes Trump picks “whoever is going to be a fighter for getting the Department of Justice to stop being a partisan entity.”
Published at Thu, 21 Nov 2024 17:42:31 +0000
