Ukrainian investigators are studying the debris of a new Russian intermediate-range ballistic missile that was fired at the city of Dnipro on Thursday, the first time such a powerful weapon has been used in the war.
Reuters was among a small group of reporters given access to the wreckage of the missile on Sunday. Reporters were asked not disclose the exact location of the site for security reasons.
The scorched and crumbled pieces of debris were laid out in a hanger at a facility which conducts weapons forensics. Ukrainian experts study such debris to gain insight into Russian military supply chains, production and how to develop countermeasures.
Russia has dubbed the missile the Oreshnik (Hazel Tree) and said it is impossible to intercept it with air defences. Ukraine has said the weapon reached a top speed of more than 13,000km/h (8,000mph) on its way towards Dnipro on Thursday.
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Intermediate-range ballistic missiles have a range of up to 5,500km.
Two state experts provided cautious assessments, saying only that the weapon was ballistic, flew on a ballistic trajectory and that the strike resulted in civilian damage. They declined to take questions or give their surnames.
"These are preliminary conclusions and to say something more concrete requires time and careful study of the remains of the missile," said Ivan, one of the experts.
"This is the first time that such remnants of such a missile have been discovered on the territory of Ukraine," said Oleh, an investigator for the Security Service of Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has called the use of the weapon a severe escalation and urged his allies to respond. Ukraine originally said the weapon appeared to be an intercontinental ballistic missile.
The Kremlin later said it fired a new intermediate-range missile at a Ukrainian military target in Dnipro in response to Kyiv striking Russia with US and British made missiles for the first time after the US granted its approval.
The US military has said the missile’s design is based on the longer-range RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). The new missile was experimental and Russia likely possessed only a handful of them, they have said.
Russian president Vladimir Putin said on Friday Moscow would keep testing the missile in combat and had a stock ready to use.
Much remains unclear for now, including the extent of the damage caused by the missile. Ukraine seldom discloses damage to military targets, fearing such information would help Moscow.
Zelensky said on Sunday that Russian forces over the past week had struck Ukraine with more than 800 guided aerial bombs, about 460 attack drones and more than 20 missiles.
In Russia, the defence ministry said 34 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight into Sunday in four regions of western Russia, including Kursk, Lipetsk, Belgorod and one over the Oryol region.
Putin has signed a law granting debt forgiveness to new army recruits who enlist to fight in Ukraine.
The measure underscores Russia’s needs for military personnel in the nearly three-year-old war, even after it fired a new intermediate-range ballistic missile last week.
According to Russian state news agency Interfax, the legislation allows those signing up for a one-year contract to write off bad debts of up to 10 million roubles (€92,000). The law applies to debts for which a court order for collection was issued and enforcement proceedings had commenced before December 1st this year, and it also applies to the spouses of recruits.
Russia has ramped up military recruitment by offering increasing financial incentives, in some cases several times the average salary, to those willing to fight in Ukraine.
The strategy has allowed the military to boost its ranks in the conflict zone while avoiding another mobilisation order. A “partial mobilisation” in September 2022 sparked an exodus of tens of thousands of Russian men who fled the country to avoid enlistment. – Reuters, additional reporting Associated Press