Russia claims it has ‘derailed’ Ukraine’s military strategy

Russian forces have “derailed” Ukraine’s military strategy for next year, Russia’s defense minister said Friday after Moscow launched an experimental hypersonic missile.

President Vladimir Putin announced the missile launch in a surprise address Thursday, saying the conflict in Ukraine had taken on a “global” nature.

The Kremlin leader warned that Moscow felt “entitled” to strike military facilities in countries allowing Ukraine to use their weapons against Russia.

In a meeting with military commanders, Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov said Moscow’s advance had “accelerated” in Ukraine and “ground down” Kyiv’s best units.

“We have, in fact, derailed the entire 2025 campaign,” Belousov said, according to a video published by Russia’s defense ministry.

Russian troops have steadily advanced in eastern Ukraine for months, capturing a series of small towns and villages, as overstretched Ukrainian soldiers face shortages of manpower and artillery.

The strikes come at a time where Ukraine has been on the retreat against Russia's soldiers. AFP

Ukraine recently fired longer-range missiles supplied by the U.S. and UK at Russian territory for the first time, escalating already high tensions in the nearly three-year-old conflict.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for a strong international response to Russia’s use of the new missile, which he said proved Moscow “does not want peace.”