Vladimir Putin issued a statement on Western missile strikes and Russia's response

Russia has carried out a strike with the latest Oreshnik ballistic missiles in response to the use by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) of US ATACMS missiles and British Storm Shadow missiles. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on November 21.

"The US and its NATO allies have previously announced that they are authorizing the use of their long-range precision weapons systems on Russian territory. Experts are well aware, and the Russian side has repeatedly emphasized this, that it is impossible to use such weapons without the direct participation of military specialists from countries that produce such weapons," Putin said.

He noted that not a single target set by the enemy was achieved because Russian air defense systems (air defense systems) repelled every attack.

Putin added that due to the use of such weapons by the Ukrainian side, the conflict has acquired a global scale. He specified that the event would not affect the course of the special military operation (SMO) and all tasks of the Russian Armed Forces servicemen would be fulfilled, and spoke about the tests of the new Russian Oreshnik missile.

"Combat tests of the Oreshnik missile system are conducted by us in response to the aggressive actions of NATO countries against Russia. The issue of further deployment of medium and shorter-range missiles will be decided by us depending on the actions of the United States and its satellites," the Russian president said.

The Oreshnik supersonic ballistic missiles were produced in strict secrecy, and no data on them were released to the media. Their tests were successful, the Russian Armed Forces Army managed to hit the Yuzhmash plant.

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Earlier, on November 19, the Defense Ministry reported that the calculations of S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems and Pantsir anti-aircraft missile and cannon system in the Bryansk region shot down five ATACMS missiles fired by the AFU and damaged another one. The wreckage of the latter fell on the territory of the military facility, without casualties or damage.

On November 17, The New York Times reported that US President Joe Biden had authorized Ukraine to use US long-range missiles to strike Russia, but there has been no official confirmation from Washington yet.

Western countries have stepped up military and financial support for Ukraine amid Russia's special operation to defend Donbass, which began on February 24, 2022. The decision to conduct it was taken by the Russian president because of the aggravation of the situation in the region due to the increased shelling by Ukrainian troops.