**Putin Claims Hypersonic Missile Strike as Retaliation Against Ukraine**

In response to recent attacks by Kyiv within Russian territory, Vladimir Putin declared that Moscow has launched a new hypersonic ballistic missile targeting Ukraine. The Russian President revealed that the Oreshnik, or Hazel, medium-range missile was utilized in the assault on Dnipro in central Ukraine. This announcement follows Ukraine's assertion that a longer-range intercontinental warhead had been deployed.

Putin issued a stern warning, indicating that Russia might consider targeting military installations in countries that support Ukraine's missile strikes against Russian territory, implicitly referencing nations like the US and UK. The Kremlin added that the missile launch served as a caution to the West, emphasizing Moscow's intent to react firmly to any "reckless" Western endeavors backing Ukraine.

There has been considerable discussion about the Oreshnik missile. Ukraine's air force initially identified the weapon as an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), a type capable of reaching the United States. However, US military officials later clarified that it was an intermediate-range missile designed after Russia's RS-26 ICBM. The Pentagon confirmed that the missile carried a conventional warhead, while noting that it could potentially be modified to bear nuclear warheads if needed.

Russian Defense Ministry officials celebrated the strike, asserting that all warheads successfully hit their designated targets. This marks the first reported use of an intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile with conventional warheads in combat. The gravity of the situation led Moscow to inform Washington 30 minutes prior to the missile launch, despite not being legally required to due to the missile's classification.

Military experts, including Anatoly Matviychuk, have stated that the Oreshnik missile could be equipped with six to eight conventional or nuclear warheads and is likely already operational. Putin highlighted the missile's speed, claiming it traveled at Mach 10, making interception difficult. Russian sources indicated a range of 3,100 miles and multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles, allowing separate warheads to strike different targets.

According to Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR), the missile, equipped with six warheads each carrying six submunitions, reached its target in Dnipro within 15 minutes from its launch in the Astrakhan region. HUR also noted that the speed at the missile’s final trajectory exceeded Mach 11 and suggested that the weapon likely originated from Russia's 'Kedr' missile program, which encompasses various ballistic missile initiatives.