Russia Launches Hypersonic Missiles In Nuclear Drills As Ukraine Tensions Grow

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Russia has hit sea and land-based targets with ballistic and cruise missiles as part of strategic nuclear exercises amid growing tensions with Ukraine.

The annual exercises featured launches of Kinzhal and Tsirkon hypersonic missiles and a number of other weapons on Saturday, the Kremlin said in a statement.

The nuclear exercises were overseen by Russian president Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko.

Ukraine’s military on Saturday said mercenaries had arrived in separatist-held eastern Ukraine to stage provocations in collaboration with Russia’s special services.

“The purpose of these provocations will, of course, be to accuse Ukraine of further escalation,” the military said in a statement.

Ukraine has accused Russia of planning to stage provocations that could lead to civilian casualties in eastern Ukraine in order to give Moscow a pretext to attack its neighbour.

Russia denies planning to attack Ukraine.

Local authorities in southwest Russia on Saturday also reported that a shell hit a village house near the Ukrainian border, damaging its roof but hurting no one, according to the TASS news agency.

Ukraine denied two earlier reports that its shells had landed on Russian territory near the border as fake news, saying Ukrainian government forces were not firing and had no interest in escalating already-high tensions.

Russia has stationed an estimated 130,000 troops along its border with Ukraine this winter, increasing suspicion that an invasion is imminent.

Western powers have consistently warned the Kremlin against any aggression, insisting there will be retaliation if it attacks its neighbour.

US secretary of defence Lloyd Austin on Saturday assured the three Baltic nations they would not be on their own if faced with security threats from Russia, although he stopped short of promising a permanent deployment of American troops in the former Soviet republics.

British prime minister Boris Johnson said an invasion of Ukraine appeared to be “in motion” but that it “must logically” still be possible to prevent a war.

Asked whether he agreed with the US assessment that the Russian leader had made up his mind to attack the capital city Kyiv, Mr Johnson told broadcasters at the Munich Security Conference: “I think certainly things are in motion, but the question is whether it can all be pulled back, and whether the president of Russia is still able to call this operation off.

“I think that possibility must logically still exist, and therefore I think it’s absolutely vital that we have a path of dialogue, of reason.”

Additional reporting by agencies