According to a report, Russia attempted a test launch of its new intercontinental ballistic missile “Satan II” on Monday while Joe Biden was in Ukraine, but failed.
Moscow is said to have tested the 200-ton Sarmat missile system, which can carry a dozen nuclear warheads and strike anywhere in the world, while the US president met with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, on Monday.
Russian officials warned Washington through so-called deconfliction lines that the launch would go ahead, US officials told CNN.
In his speech later that day, Putin stated that Russia would suspend its participation in the New Start Nuclear Weapons Reduction Treaty.
Russia had previously tested an ICBM last November. Military analysts have said it could reach London in just 13 minutes if it were based in Russia’s far west.
The Russian president previously boasted that his new missile, officially known as Sarmat, would “pay attention to those who try to threaten Russia”.
It comes because Biden was due to meet Eastern European leaders on Wednesday, a day after vowing Russia would never see victory in Ukraine.
9:13 am
Vladimir Putin expected to attend pro-war rally in Moscow
Vladimir Putin is likely to attend a pro-war rally in Moscow on Wednesday.
It will be the third time the Russian president has attended a mass rally in support of his invasion of Ukraine, which he launched nearly a year ago.
According to Russian media, there will be musical acts and speeches during the open-air gathering.
9:04 am
Ukraine destroys Russian ammunition depot deep behind enemy lines
Ukraine appeared to have hit a Russian munitions depot in occupied Mariupol on Wednesday, with more than a dozen explosions reported in the early hours.
The southern port city is known to be beyond the range of the American-made Himars missile launcher, which has a range of some 50 miles.
“Information about nighttime explosions in Mariupol. The data was confirmed that an ammunition depot belonging to the occupiers near the airport was destroyed,” the Mariupol City Council wrote on the messaging app Telegram.
Ukraine has yet to formally accept responsibility for the apparent strike.
8:55 am
Ukraine has claimed at least 100,000 victims in the past year
Ukraine’s armed forces have suffered at least 100,000 casualties since Russia invaded nearly a year ago, according to Western officials.
But far fewer Ukrainians have died from good medical care compared to the 200,000 Russians estimated to have been killed or wounded in the war.
“We cannot escape the fact that Ukrainians are making casualties at a level that would be unsustainable for many countries,” said a Western official.
“But the ratio of dead to wounded in Ukraine is significantly lower than for the Russians, which is about three wounded to one dead. The Ukrainian figure is between 10 and 20 to one.”
8:21 am
Biden to meet Eastern European leaders
US President Joe Biden will meet with leaders of NATO’s eastern flank on Wednesday to express support for their security after Moscow suspended a landmark nuclear arms control treaty.
He will meet with US embassy staff in Warsaw before rounding up the leaders of the Bucharest Nine, the countries on NATO’s eastern flank that joined the Western military alliance after being dominated by Moscow during the Cold War.
Most are strong supporters of military aid to Ukraine, and officials from countries in the group have called for additional resources, such as air defense systems.
At the meeting, Mr Biden plans to reaffirm his security commitments and discuss support for Ukraine before returning to Washington.
Biden arrived in Warsaw late Monday after a surprise visit to Kiev, just days before the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
