KYIV, Ukraine — On Friday, Ukraine’s parliament decided to cancel a scheduled session amid heightened security measures following the recent deployment of a new ballistic missile by Russia, a development that raises the stakes in the ongoing conflict that has lasted nearly three years.
Three members of the Ukrainian parliament revealed that the cancellation was a direct response to the continuing threat posed by potential Russian missile strikes.
According to a spokesperson from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office, the administration is adhering to standard security protocols while continuing its operations as usual.
In a statement on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that his country had fired a new intermediate-range ballistic missile amidst Ukraine’s use of extended-range weaponry from the United States and the United Kingdom, which have the capability to reach further into Russian territory.
Putin specified that the missile targeted a military facility in Dnipro, located in central Ukraine. He further asserted that the new missile is designed to be incredibly fast, boasting speeds ten times greater than that of sound, and is named Oreshnik, which translates to hazelnut tree in Russian.
The Pentagon further validated claims that the missile represents a new experimental model of intermediate-range missile, derived from Russia’s RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile system.
As tensions rise between the two nations, the implications of this latest military development are significant for the ongoing conflict and regional stability.
