Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the nation on Thursday evening, November 21, to respond to days of escalation in the Ukraine conflict.
He said Moscow had fired a new generation intermediate-range missile on Ukraine and warned that the conflict was taking on a "global character."
Here's his address in full, based on a transcript provided by the Kremlin and translated from Russian by AFP:
"I want to update the personnel of the Russian armed forces, the citizens of our country, our friends throughout the world and those who continue to harbor illusions about the possibility of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia, about the events that are taking place today in the zone of the special military operation. Specifically, following the use of Western-made long-range weapons on our territory.
Continuing the course of escalating the Ukraine conflict, which was originally provoked by the West, the United States and its NATO allies announced that they are authorising the use of their long-range precision-guided weapons systems on the territory of the Russian Federation.
It is well known to experts, and the Russian side has repeatedly emphasized this, that it is impossible to use such weapons without the direct involvement of military specialists from the countries that produce them.
On 19 November, six US-made ATACMS tactical missiles, and then on 21 November, UK-made Storm Shadow and US-made HIMARS systems in a combined attack, struck military facilities on the territory of the Russian Federation, in the Bryansk and Kursk regions. From that moment, as we have repeatedly emphasized before, the regional conflict in Ukraine provoked by the West took on elements of a global character.
Our air defense systems repelled these attacks. As a result, the goals that were obviously set by the enemy were not achieved. A fire at an ammunition depot in the Bryansk region caused by the fall of ATACMS missile debris was extinguished, and there were no casualties or serious damage.
In the Kursk region, an attack was carried out on one of the command posts of our 'North' troop group. As a result of the attack and air defense combat, there are, unfortunately, casualties – dead and wounded among the personnel of the facility's external security units and maintenance personnel. The command and operational staff of the control center were not wounded and are operating normally, managing our troops' actions to destroy and expel enemy units from the Kursk region.
Once again, I would like to emphasize that the use of such weapons by the enemy is not able to affect the course of combat operations in the zone of the special military operation. Our troops are successfully advancing along the entire frontline. All the goals that we have set will be accomplished.
In response to the use of American and British long-range weapons, on November 21, the Russian Armed Forces launched a combined strike on a facility of the Ukrainian defense-industrial complex. They tested one of Russia's newest intermediate-range missile systems in combat conditions. In this case, a ballistic missile with a non-nuclear hypersonic configuration. Our missile engineers named it 'Oreshnik.'
The tests were carried out successfully, the goal of the launch was achieved. On the territory of Ukraine, in the city of Dnipropetrovsk [Dnipro in Ukrainian], one of the largest industrial complexes, well known since the days of the Soviet Union, which still produces missile equipment and other weapons, was hit.
We are developing intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles as a response to the United States' plans to produce and deploy intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. We believe that the United States made a mistake by unilaterally breaking the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty in 2019 under far-fetched pretexts.
Today the United States not only produces such equipment, but, as we can see, is deploying its advanced missile systems to different regions of the world, including Europe, during training exercises for its troops. Moreover, through such drills, they are conducting training on how to use them.
I remind you that Russia has voluntarily and unilaterally committed itself not to deploy intermediate and shorter-range missiles, so long as US weapons of this kind do not appear anywhere in the world. I repeat: tests of the 'Oreshnik' missile system in combat conditions are being conducted by us as a response to the aggressive actions of NATO countries against Russia.
We will address the question of further deployment of intermediate and shorter-range missiles based on the actions of the United States and its satellites. We will determine the targets for further tests of our newest missile systems on the basis of threats to the security of the Russian Federation.
We consider ourselves entitled to use our weapons against the military facilities of those countries that allow their weapons to be used against our facilities. In the event of an escalation of aggressive actions, we will respond just as decisively and symmetrically. I recommend that the ruling elites of those countries, that are hatching plans to use their military contingents against Russia, seriously consider this.
Of course, when we choose – if necessary and as a retaliatory measure – targets to be hit by systems such as 'Oreshnik' on Ukrainian territory, we will warn civilians in advance, and also ask the citizens of friendly states who are there to leave the danger zones. We will do this for humanitarian reasons -- openly, publicly, without fear of counter-measures from the enemy, who will also receive this information.
Why without fear? Because as of today there are no means of counteracting such a weapon. These missiles attack targets at a speed of Mach 10, which is 2.5-3 kilometers (1.6-1.9 miles) per second. Modern air defense systems and US systems in Europe cannot intercept such missiles. It is impossible.
I emphasize once again: It is not Russia but the United States that has destroyed the system of international security and is pushing the entire world towards a global conflict by continuing to fight and cling on to its hegemony.
We have always preferred to, and now are ready to resolve all disputed questions with peaceful means. But we are also ready for any scenario.
If anyone doubts that, they are wrong. There will always be a response."