Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Liveupdated

Ukraine-Russia war latest: US warns Putin could use lethal new ballistic missile in ‘coming days’ against Kyiv

It comes Russian missile killed at least four people in Zaporizhzhia over night

Jabed Ahmed,Arpan Rai,Tara Cobham
Wednesday 11 December 2024 11:20 EST
Comments
Related: Vladimir Putin hints at strikes on West

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Russia could launch another hypersonic ballistic missile in Ukraine in the coming days, but Washington does not consider the Oreshnik weapon a game-changer in the war, a US official has said.

Russia first fired the Oreshnik missile at the Ukrainian city of Dnipro on 21 November, in what President Vladimir Putin cast as a response to Ukraine’s first use of US ATACMs ballistic missiles and British Storm Shadows to strike Russian territory with Western permission.

“We assess that the Oreshnik is not a game-changer on the battlefield, but rather just another attempt by Russia to terrorize Ukraine, which will fail,” the official said.

Putin has claimed that the Oreshnik, or hazel tree, is impossible to intercept and that it has destructive power comparable to that of a nuclear weapon, even when fitted with a conventional warhead.

But the US official downplayed the usefulness of the missiles, calling them “experimental” in nature and said that “Russia likely possesses only a handful” of them. 

There was no immediate response from Russia.

Pictures show Syrian diaspora raising opposition flags at embassy in Russia

Photos show members of the Syrian community in Moscow gathering outside the Syrian embassy on Monday to celebrate the toppling of former president Bashar al-Assad and to hoist the opposition flag over the building.

Assad and his family fled to Russia, where they received asylum from his longtime ally, after a lightning rebel advance ended his family’s 50 years of iron rule.

Members of the Syrian diaspora raise the Syrian opposition flag at the Syrian embassy in Moscow, Russia
Members of the Syrian diaspora raise the Syrian opposition flag at the Syrian embassy in Moscow, Russia (AP)
Members of the Syrian diaspora prepare to raise the Syrian opposition flag at the Syrian embassy in Moscow, Russia
Members of the Syrian diaspora prepare to raise the Syrian opposition flag at the Syrian embassy in Moscow, Russia (AP)
The Syrian opposition flag is installed on the building of the Embassy of Syria in Moscow
The Syrian opposition flag is installed on the building of the Embassy of Syria in Moscow (AFP via Getty Images)
Steffie Banatvala10 December 2024 15:20

Russian missile strike kills three in Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, governor says

Three people were killed and 11 hurt in a Russian missile strike that destroyed a private clinic in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia on Tuesday, the regional governor said.

Rescuers were searching for people trapped under the rubble, he said on the Telegram messenger. One person was in a severe condition, and two medics were among the injured,

Steffie Banatvala10 December 2024 15:15

Explosions heard in occupied Donetsk

Russian occupation officials announced evacuations in Yenakiieve city in the occupied Donetsk region as reports of explosions spread on social media.

Local Telegram channels speculated about a possible missile attack in footage they posted allegedly showing explosions in Yenakiieve .

Ukraine has not commented on the incident, and Russian authorities did not clarify the reasons for evacuation.

Steffie Banatvala10 December 2024 15:00

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in