Ukraine salvages charred pieces of Russia’s savage new ballistic missile as Putin makes ominous promise

Kyiv’s Security Service salvaged the remains of the new hypersonic ballistic missile Russia fired at central Ukraine as it warned that Moscow would transform Ukraine into a “testing ground” for its bombs.

Charred fragments of the new Oreshnik missile were put on display for reporters on Sunday following its use last week against a military site in Dnipro.

The Oreshnik, Russian for hazel tree, appears to be based on Moscow’s RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile and is capable of carrying either conventional or nuclear warheads.

Several destroyed components of the rocket were recovered from the blast, including mangled wires and an airframe the size of a large snow tire.

“It should be noted that this is the first time that the remains of such a missile have been discovered on the territory of Ukraine,” an expert with Ukraine’s Security Service told the Associated Press.

The rocket, which has yet to be fully analyzed, hit speeds of nearly 8,500 miles per hour after it was launched from the 4th Missile Test Range in Russia’s Astrakhan region on Thursday, according to Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the use of the new missile, coupled with the latest bombardment of about 460 drones last week, proved Russia viewed his country as nothing but a firing range.

“Ukraine is not a testing ground for weapons. Ukraine is a sovereign and independent state,” Zelensky said in a statement Sunday.

“Yet, Russia persists in its attempts to destroy our people, sow fear and panic, and weaken us,” he added.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the use of the Oreshnik missile was a direct response to Kyiv’s use of American and British-made long-range weapons in Russia, which he had previously warned would escalate the war.

Putin recently warned that Moscow had additional stockpiles of its new Oreshnik missile, promising to use it against Kyiv.

“We will continue these tests, including in combat conditions, depending on the situation and the nature of the security threats that are created for Russia,” Putin said in televised comments.

“Moreover, we have a stock of such products, a stock of such systems ready for use,” he added.

With Post wires