Ukraine to unleash 'Hell' on Russia with new rocket drone capable of 430-mile strikes
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky unveiled the new weapon on the same day Russia lost 1,660 soldiers in the war it unlawfully started in 2022.
The Ukrainian leader unveiled on Friday a new “rocket-drone” that can hit targets located 430 miles away, more than twice the longest range of missiles supplied by Western allies.
The drone is called Peklo, which translates to "hell" in Ukrainian. The speed it can reach makes it difficult for enemies to defend against it.
The new weapon has been unveiled after Russia tested a new hypersonic missile in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro.
Vladimir Putin launched the Oreshnik missile in response to the West allowing Ukraine to strike Russian territory with US and UK long-range missiles.
On Friday, Putin said: “Western countries are deliberately escalating tensions, it is them who are responsible for the present-day tragedy and they continue aggravating the situation.
“Such an irresponsible policy is driving the world to the brink of a global conflict."
Fighting in Ukraine continues, with Russia making advances in the east of the country.
But the election win of Donald Trump in the US could change the dynamic of the conflict given his promise to secure a quick peace deal.
Hopes for an end to the war may also be boosted by the fact that Russian General Valery Gerasimov reportedly spoke to US President Joe Biden's top military adviser in a highly unusual moment this week.
The New York Times reports that Mr Gerasimov and General Charles Brown discussed how to manage recent escalations.
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A spokesman for General Brown said the call was held "at the request of General Gerasimov, General Brown agreed to not proactively announce the call".
He added that the two men "discussed a number of global and regional security issues, to include the ongoing conflict in Ukraine".
Pavel Podvig an expert in Russian nuclear forces, said: "This is very interesting. Call to de-escalate?"
The Institute for the Study of War think-tank said of the call: "Gerasimov's statement to Brown, if accurate, directly undermined this ongoing information operation by admitting that the Oreshnik launch was not connected to Ukrainian strikes into Russia with Western-provided weapons as Putin explicitly claimed in an emergency address immediately following the strike."
