Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Thursday that Russia has launched a strike on a plant in Dnipro, Ukraine, using a newly developed hypersonic medium-range ballistic missile named 'Oreshnik'. The announcement marks a significant development in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which has now entered its 1,000th day. According to Anadolu Agency, the Ukrainian Air Force initially reported that Moscow had used an intercontinental ballistic missile in the early morning attack on Dnipro. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed this claim in a video address, though he noted that expert evaluations are still being conducted to confirm the specific model of the missile used. Russian Telegram channels indicated that the attack targeted Pivdenmash, a state-owned aerospace manufacturer in Dnipro. Putin stated in a live video address that the strike was in response to Ukraine's deployment of American and British long-range weapons against Russia. He emphasized that the attack served as a test for Russia's new medium-range missile system, Oreshnik, which is equipped with "non-nuclear hypersonic" capabilities. The Russian leader linked the development of such missiles to US plans to deploy intermediate- and shorter-range missiles in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. The Russian President further argued that the conflict has taken on a global dimension due to the use of Western missiles against Russia in recent days. He asserted that Kyiv's utilization of these long-range missiles would not alter the trajectory of Russia's military operations in Ukraine. Putin warned that the decision to deploy additional medium- and shorter-range missiles would depend on the actions of the US and its allies, and assured that civilians would be alerted in advance when systems like Oreshnik are used. In his address, Putin defended Russia's right to target military facilities in countries that use their weapons against Moscow. He warned that Russia's response to any escalation in Ukraine would be "decisive a nd in kind," and advised the ruling elites of nations contemplating military actions against Russia to reconsider their plans.