Emergency NATO and Ukraine Meeting Following Russia's Attack with New Hypersonic Missile

Following Russia's attack on the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro using a test hypersonic ballistic missile, NATO and Ukraine will hold an emergency meeting on Tuesday, December 6. Donald Tusk, the Prime Minister of Poland, stated on Friday, December 2, that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is entering a "decisive phase" and has taken on "very dramatic dimensions." After Russia's attack on a military facility in Dnipro, the Ukrainian parliament canceled its session due to heightened security measures. The military facility "Pydonmesh" is located six and a half kilometers southwest of downtown Dnipro, a city with a population of about one million. Dnipro is Ukraine's fourth-largest city and an important center for military logistics and humanitarian aid. Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Western countries in a televised speech that Russia's recent attack with the medium-range "Orshonik" missile was in retaliation for Kyiv's use of American and British long-range missiles capable of striking deeper into Russian territory. Ukrainian military officials state that the missile that hit Dnipro had a speed of about 11 Mach and carried six non-nuclear warheads. Ukrainian military intelligence indicates that the Orshonik missile was launched from the "Kapustin Yar" missile test site in the Astrakhan region of Russia and flew for 15 minutes before striking Dnipro. After discussions with military and arms industry officials, Putin announced that Russia would begin production of the Orshonik missile. He added that testing of this missile "including in the battlefield, depending on the situation and nature of security threats against Russia" would continue and noted that "a stockpile of missiles is ready for use." The Russian President stated that while this is not an intercontinental missile, its power is such that using several of them with conventional warheads in an attack could be as devastating as an attack with strategic or nuclear weapons. Tensions between Russia and Ukraine have escalated following reports of approximately ten thousand North Korean soldiers being sent to Russia, with Western countries agreeing to Ukraine's use of their weapons to target positions within Russian territory. Kyiv quickly retaliated by using American-made long-range "Atacms" missiles to strike an arms depot within Russia and attacked other targets in Russia with British "Storm Shadow" cruise missiles. In a separate development, the regional administration of Ukraine announced on Saturday, December 3, that Russia attacked the residential area of "Sumy" with Iranian-made "Shahed" drones, resulting in two deaths and 13 injuries. Ukrainian media "Suspilne" quoted the head of the Sumy region reporting that the drones were filled with munitions. He stated that such weapons are used to kill people, not to destroy objects. The Russian drone attack on a Ukrainian city left two dead and 12 injured. The United States: Russia used a new missile in its attack on Ukraine. Ukraine: Russia attacked for the first time with an intercontinental ballistic missile. Announcement of a new $275 million military aid package from the United States to Ukraine. Ukraine attacked Russia with British missiles. Closure of the U.S. embassy in Kyiv amid increasing likelihood of a "major attack" by Russia. German Chancellor criticizes the "lack of transparency" of the G20 regarding Russia and Hamas.