Vladimir Putin's chilling threat to drag Britain into Ukraine war with new 'hazel' missiles

Vladimir Putin has threatened the UK with strikes from a “new” benignant of rocket - arsenic Russia warned Britain it was present “directly involved” successful the war.

It comes successful a week wherever Russia has repeatedly stoked fears that the warfare could widen beyond Ukraine - dragging Western allies including the UK successful to the fighting.

And past nighttime the country’s UK ambassador Andrei Kelin warned supplying Ukraine with longer-range missiles to occurrence crossed the borderline meant Britain was “directly involved” successful the conflict.

Asked if the determination had brought Britain into the war, Mr Kelin told Sky News: "Absolutely, Britain and UK is present straight progressive successful this war, due to the fact that this firing cannot hap without NATO staff, British unit arsenic well."

Although it was equipped with a accepted warhead, the usage of a caller “intermediate range” rocket successful an onslaught connected the cardinal metropolis of Dnipro volition beryllium seen arsenic a informing from Putin that it holds the world ’s largest atomic arsenal.

Early reports suggested an intercontinental ballistic rocket (ICBM) - of the benignant designed to transportation a atomic payload - had been utilized successful the strike.

It would person represented the archetypal usage successful past of specified long-range weapons - which tin deed targets much than 3,400 miles distant from the motorboat site, acold beyond what is needed to scope into Ukraine.

But the Kremlin confirmed it was not an ICBM, but a caller limb codenamed, codenamed Oreshnik - oregon Hazel successful English.

Putin said successful a nationwide TV code that the Russian onslaught connected Ukraine connected Thursday came successful effect to Ukrainian strikes connected the Russian territory with US and British missiles earlier this week.

And helium warned occidental allies who supplied the missiles that their subject bases could beryllium targeted with Oreshnik missiles.

“We judge that we person the close to usage our weapons against subject facilities of the countries that let to usage their weapons against our facilities,” helium said.

“And successful lawsuit of escalation of assertive actions, we volition respond resolutely successful a reflector way.”

Putin said Russia would contented beforehand warnings earlier strikes connected different countries to let civilians to evacuate to safety.

And helium warned US aerial defence systems wouldn’t beryllium susceptible of intercepting Russian missiles.

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

It was launched from Russia’s Astrakhan region, connected the Caspian Sea - astir 435 miles from the target.

Keir Starmer ’s spokesperson said archetypal reports of the onslaught were “deeply concerning.”

"If true, intelligibly this would beryllium different illustration of grave, reckless and escalatory behaviour from Russia and lone serves to fortify our resolve," helium said.

The Russian Defense Ministry, meanwhile, 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.

In September, Putin warned lifting restrictions connected the usage of Storm Shadows and ATACMS would mean NATO countries would beryllium astatine warfare with Russia.

He said: “'If this determination is made, it volition mean thing little than the nonstop information of Nato countries, the United States, and European countries successful the warfare successful Ukraine.'

That would mean they were “fighting Russia”, helium added.

On Tuesday, Putin signed a caller doctrine lowering the threshold for utilizing atomic weapons.

Should we beryllium frightened Putin's escalation could pb to atomic war?

By ANTHONY GLEES, Professor and information expert, Buckingham University

On Thursday morning, Ukrainian subject quality said that wrong the monolithic barrage of missiles and drones that Putin had a fewer hours earlier lobbed astatine the eastbound metropolis of Dnipro, he'd added, for bully measure, an inter-continental ballistic rocket oregon ICBM.

ICBMs person a agelong scope of 5,500 kms and tin transportation the astir lethal warheads known to man: nuclear, chemic and biological.

An ICBM fired astatine Ukraine would successful mentation correspond a unsafe escalation of Putin's assertive war, adjacent (as was astir instantly wide this morning) it had nary atomic oregon biochem warhead.

Actually, it would beryllium a discarded of an ICBM were it utilized against immoderate people successful Ukraine, adjacent if (as claimed successful this case) it was fired from 1,200 kms away, successful Astrakhan successful Russia not different continent away. It mightiness nevertheless endanger to unnerve us, acold further distant to the West.

In fact, we are present told by US and UK quality that the rocket successful question was _not_ an ICBM but a caller Russian intermediate scope missile. Zelensky aboriginal said the rocket was 'of a caller type, 1 we've been tracking' but not needfully an ICBM. However, it was an escalation for sure.

So should we present beryllium frightened that Putin's further escalation could pb to a atomic warfare with Russia and World War Three?

No, of people not.

Every bully gets precocious connected fear, including the worst 1 around, hiding successful the Kremlin. But bullies are ever cowards, arsenic Putin himself is, ducking and weaving and hiding down wordplay and tedious threats.

Putin is present hell-bent connected destroying the morale of the Ukrainians forces, and grabbing arsenic overmuch territory from Ukraine arsenic helium can, earlier the hard wintertime sets in, and Donald J Trump returns to the White House to marque peace, arsenic helium has said, successful 24 hours. However helium is not going to stroke himself up by playing astir with nukes.

Putin knows Trump's connection is an extremity to the warring successful instrumentality for the Ukrainians giving him, successful perpetuity, the territory helium has stolen from them, gaining a prohibition connected Ukraine joining NATO for 25 years. The Ukrainians, Trump's advisers suggest, volition get 'sovereignty' successful return. This would beryllium a immense triumph for Putin.

This means nothing. Having been fixed 25% of Ukrainian lands, Putin volition being to chisel distant astatine what remains.

Only 1 happening tin enactment him backmost successful his miserable box: our superior strength. This is precisely what we are demonstrating we person erstwhile helium springiness the 'go' awesome for ATACs, Storm Shadows and Scalps.

This is not making Putin much dangerous, it is clipping his wings. Letting Putin triumph is the acold greater menace to satellite peace.

Our Defence Minister John Healey has said we indispensable present treble down successful our enactment for brave Ukraine. He could not beryllium much right. Let Putin person it, with some barrels.

Putin's intelligence warfare is preparing the Russian radical for warfare beyond Ukraine

By BRUCE JONES, Russian quality expert

Vladimir Putin is carrying retired a warfare of words.

He's "priming" Russian citizens with a barrage of anti-western messaging - informing of hostile occidental intentions and operations.

And his purpose is to warrant immoderate signifier of hostile enactment oregon cognition against the West.

As Ukraine begins strikes with occidental missiles against Russia, Kremlin backed media is accusing the country's allies of ramping up the warfare - peculiarly the US and the United Kingdom.

Meanwhile overnight, pursuing days of escalation successful the conflict, Kiev accused Russia of firing an RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic rocket (ICBM), for the archetypal time, since Moscow's full-scale penetration of the state which began successful February 2022.

After hours of increasing hostility - Putin confirmed it was not an ICBM, but a caller benignant of "intermediate range" missile.

But Ukrainian officials judge rocket was launched for propaganda reasons.

Russia's Embassy successful the UK has urged Britain not to propulsion guardant the escalation of war.

"British hawks are present trying to adhd substance to the occurrence by advocating for caller rounds of escalation," a connection posted connected Telegram said - with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov saying Ukraine's usage of US ATACMS missiles successful the Bryansk portion indicates its tendency to escalate the conflict.

And Vladimir Putin has warned that Ukraine gaining long-range rocket capableness "will mean that NATO countries, the United States, and European countries are astatine warfare with Russia," and "appropriate action" volition beryllium taken. "

"A caller escalation is taking spot successful Ukraine. This is an highly irresponsible presumption taken by the outgoing American administration," the Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov said.

According to Peskov, the Biden White House continues to "add substance to the fire" by preventing steps to extremity the conflict. He besides pointed retired that Washington is utilizing Ukraine arsenic "its instrumentality for waging warfare connected Russia."

He stressed that "responsibility for prolonging the conflict" lies with Ukraine's allies, particularly Britain.

Putin's intelligence warfare is intended to motivate Russian citizens to beryllium prepared for a warfare beyond Ukraine - and if indispensable to instrumentality part.