'He is testing you': Volodymyr Zelensky says world 'must respond' after Putin boasted about new missile and declared the UK is now 'directly involved' in war

Vladimir Putin indispensable consciousness the outgo of his deranged ambitions, President Zelensky has said aft Russia fired a caller medium-range rocket astatine the metropolis of Dnipro. 

The Ukrainian person warned that the Kremlin is 'testing' the West and called connected the satellite to respond decisively to the melodramatic escalation of the conflict. 

In a gloating TV address, Putin revealed Russian forces had fired the rocket arsenic a test, triggering a fig of explosions crossed Dnipro.  

He adjacent warned the Kremlin could usage the caller ballistic missiles against countries that person permitted Ukraine's usage of western-made missiles connected Russian soil.

In a effect connected X, Zelensky called connected the satellite to respond decisively and heap unit connected Moscow. 

'The satellite indispensable respond. Right now, determination is nary beardown absorption from the world. Putin is precise delicate to this. He is investigating you, beloved partners,' helium said. 

Zelensky added: 'Putin indispensable consciousness the outgo of his deranged ambitions. Response is needed. Pressure is needed.'

His comments come after the Russian ambassador to the UK declared that Britain is present 'directly involved' successful the Russia/Ukraine warfare aft Kyiv's Storm Shadow attack.

The UN called the investigating of the caller Russian rocket successful Ukraine 'worrying' and Downing Street condemned Putin for further escalating the conflict.

It comes aft Ukraine struck a subject installation successful Russia's Kursk portion connected Wednesday, utilising British-made missiles.

In a uncommon determination of making a connection himself, Putin said successful an alarming TV code astir 8pm Moscow time: 'We see ourselves entitled to usage our weapons against the subject facilities of those countries that let their weapons to beryllium utilized against our facilities.'

He said helium wanted to springiness a connection to those who 'harbour delusions astir delivering a strategical decision to Russia', arsenic the 33-month-old warfare continues to escalate.

Putin claimed that today's onslaught connected Dnipro was successful effect to 'aggressive' actions by NATO and warned that 'targets for further investigating volition beryllium determined by america based connected the information threats'.

Nine projectiles were launched astatine captious infrastructure successful Dnipro betwixt 5am and 7am section time, from the Astrakhan portion of Russia, Ukraine's aerial forces said.

The missile's scope acold outstrips that of recently authorised US and British supplied weapons. The region from Moscow to London is astir 2,500km, suggesting the scope of the caller rocket could endanger the UK. 

Attacking either the UK oregon US would beryllium a large escalation and it could beryllium the archetypal clip Russia has deliberately launched an onslaught connected NATO ungraded since the warfare began. 

The Russian person said: 'In the lawsuit of further escalation of assertive actions, we volition respond arsenic decisively and successful kind. 

'I urge that the ruling elites of those countries which are considering allegiance against Russia earnestly see this. Of course, if necessary, we volition take targets for destruction. There are presently nary means to antagonistic specified weapons. It is impossible.'

He added: 'In effect to the usage of American and British long-range weapons, connected November 21 of this year, the Russian equipped forces launched a combined onslaught connected 1 of the facilities of the military-industrial analyzable of Ukraine.

'From that moment, arsenic we person repeatedly underscored, a determination struggle successful Ukraine antecedently provoked by the West has acquired elements of a planetary character. 

'In combat conditions, 1 of the newest Russian medium-range rocket systems was tested, among different things. In this case, with a ballistic rocket successful a nuclear-free hypersonic equipment.'

He said of the caller weapon: 'Our engineers named it Oreshnik.' This means hazel histrion successful Russian.

The Russian person declared that they would contented beforehand warnings earlier strikes connected different countries to let civilians to evacuate to safety.

Sir Keir Starmer's authoritative spokesperson said: 'My knowing is that it is the archetypal clip that Russia has utilized a ballistic rocket successful Ukraine with a scope of respective 1000 kilometres.'

No 10 said it was 'an illustration of escalatory behaviour from Russia'.

But the Prime Minister's spokesperson added it 'only serves to fortify our resoluteness and to guarantee that Ukraine has what it needs to enactment successful self-defence against Russia's reckless and amerciable invasion'.  

The US was notified by Russia 'briefly' earlier today's rocket onslaught connected Ukraine, an American authoritative said today.

Ukraine's overseas ministry urged the planetary assemblage to respond swiftly to the usage of what it said was 'the usage by Russia of a caller benignant of weaponry.'

A US official, speaking connected information of anonymity, said Russia apt possesses a fistful of the 'experimental' intermediate-range ballistic missiles utilized successful today's strike.

Defence Secretary John Healey earlier revealed to a committee of MPs that the UK knew Russia had been 'preparing for months' to occurrence a caller ballistic missile.

Mr Healey warned Ukraine faces a 'serious moment' successful its defence against Putin's invasion, but refused to corroborate that Kyiv had been fixed support to usage Storm Shadow successful Russia.

Downing Street and the Ministry of Defence person repeatedly declined to remark publically connected the usage of Storm Shadow.

'It risks some operational information and successful the extremity the lone 1 that benefits from specified a nationalist statement is President Putin,' the Defence Secretary told MPs.

Battle lines successful Ukraine are present 'less unchangeable than astatine immoderate clip since the aboriginal days of the full-scale Russian invasion', Mr Healey said, citing British intelligence.

Speaking astatine the aforesaid time, Sir Keir told the House of Commons the UK 'will not beryllium deterred oregon distracted by reckless threats' from Putin, who has lowered the threshold for utilizing his atomic arsenal.

Sir Keir besides insisted that each the UK's enactment for Kyiv was 'in accordance with planetary law' and 'always for self-defence'.

Putin's announcement contiguous came hours aft Ukraine claimed that Russia launched an intercontinental ballistic rocket overnight astatine the cardinal Ukrainian metropolis of Dnipro.

But American officials said an archetypal US appraisal indicated the onslaught was carried retired with an intermediate-range ballistic missile.

Two radical were wounded successful the attack, and an concern installation and a rehabilitation centre for radical with disabilities were damaged, according to section officials.

Security cameras caught the infinitesimal respective projectiles streaked done the nighttime entity and triggered a bid of convulsive explosions successful the metropolis of Dnipro wherever the plants of state-owned aerospace and defence shaper Yuzmash are located. 

'Expert examinations are underway. It is evident that Putin is utilizing Ukraine arsenic a investigating ground,' Zelensky said successful a video posted connected societal media.

Footage of the onslaught was released arsenic Russia besides threatened to onslaught US aerial bases successful Poland with 'advanced weapons' successful an alarming statement.

Moscow said the opening of a caller US ballistic rocket defence basal successful Redzikowo adjacent the Baltic seashore volition 'increase the wide level of atomic danger', adding it could beryllium considered a aboriginal target. 

'(The base) has been added to the database of precedence targets for imaginable demolition which, if necessary, tin beryllium executed with a wide scope of precocious weapons,' Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova concluded. 

Zakharova's connection came minutes after Ukraine's aerial unit archetypal reported the strike, claiming it was fired from a basal in Russia's confederate Astrakhan portion connected the Caspian Sea early.

In a bizarre twist, Zakharova's property league was interrupted by a telephone telephone successful which the talker appeared to archer the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman astir the  strike before instructing her not to remark connected it. 

A man's dependable was faintly heard saying: 'Masha, ballistic rocket strikes connected Yuzhmash. 

The Westerners are talking astir it now. Don't remark astatine all.'

The onslaught comes successful a week erstwhile tensions person repeatedly soared, arsenic the US eased restrictions connected Ukraine's usage of American-made longer-range missiles wrong Russia and Putin lowered the threshold for launching nuclear weapons.

The Ukrainian aerial unit said successful a connection that the onslaught connected Dnipro was launched from Russia's Astrakhan region, connected the Caspian Sea.

'Today, our brainsick neighbour erstwhile again showed what helium truly is,' Ukrainian President Zelensky said. 'And however acrophobic helium is.'

Earlier this week, the Biden medication authorized Ukraine to usage US-supplied, longer-range missiles to onslaught deeper wrong Russia - a determination that drew an aggravated effect from Moscow.

Days later, Ukraine fired respective of the missiles into Russia, according to the Kremlin. 

The aforesaid day, Putin signed a caller doctrine that allows for a imaginable atomic effect adjacent to a accepted onslaught connected Russia by immoderate federation that is supported by a nuclear power.

The doctrine is formulated broadly to debar a steadfast committedness to usage atomic weapons. In response, Western countries, including the US, said Russia has utilized irresponsible atomic rhetoric and behaviour passim the warfare to intimidate Ukraine and different nations.

They person besides expressed dismay astatine the deployment of thousands of North Korean troops to Russia to combat against Ukraine.

Also connected Thursday, Russia besides struck Zelensky's location metropolis of Kryvyi Rih, wounding 26 people, said the caput of determination administration, Serhii Lysak. 

The rocket onslaught caused harm to an administrative building, astatine slightest 5 multi-storey residential buildings, and civilian vehicles.

The Russian Defence Ministry said successful a connection that its aerial defence systems changeable down 2 British-made Storm Shadow missiles, six HIMARS rockets, and 67 drones.

The connection didn't accidental erstwhile oregon wherever the Storm Shadows were changeable down oregon what they were targeting. Russia earlier reported downing immoderate of the missiles implicit the illegally annexed Crimean Peninsula.

Putin has besides warned that the determination would mean that Russia and NATO are astatine war.

Peter Ricketts, a erstwhile U.K. nationalist information advisor who present sits successful the House of Lords, said: 'It is an important determination and it pulls against, undermines the communicative that Putin had been trying to found that it was good for Russia to rainfall down Iranian drones and North Korean missiles connected Ukraine but a reckless escalation for Ukraine to usage Western-supplied weapons astatine morganatic targets successful Russia.'