Amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, photos on Sunday show the wreckage of Moscow's new experimental missile which was test launched on Thursday and struck a factory in Ukraine.
The war has raged on for more than two years after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the "special military operation" in Ukraine in February 2022. Although Moscow aimed for a quick victory over its Eastern European neighbor, viewed as having a much smaller military, its spirited defense effort bolstered by Western aid, has blocked it from making substantial gains.
Ukrainian officials said on Thursday that a factory in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro was struck by a test launch of a new intermediate-range ballistic missile.
Putin said the firing of the missile, which was experimental, was in response to Kyiv's use of American and British missiles capable of striking deeper into Russia. It comes as concerns grew last week after President Joe Biden's decision to authorize Ukraine to use U.S. ATACMS rockets to launch strikes into Russian territory.
Ukraine has for months urged the U.S. to authorize long-range strikes into Russian territory, but the White House resisted doing so over fears of escalation. However, Moscow's decision to deploy North Korean soldiers to the Ukrainian front has changed the administration's thinking.
On Sunday, Ukraine's Security Service showed the Associated Press wreckage of the new experimental ballistic missile.
The missile, dubbed "Oreshnik" (Russian for hazel tree), is reportedly based on the RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile and capable of carrying nuclear or conventional warheads.
The wreckage, which has not been analyzed yet, revealed charred remains and mangled components as the AP and other media were able to see the fragments before they were taken by investigators, according to security officials on site in an undisclosed location in Ukraine.
Charred, mangled wires and an ashy airframe the size of a large snow tire was all that remained of the weapon.
According to Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate, the missile was fired from the 4th Missile Test Range, Kapustin Yar, in Russia's Astrakhan region and flew for 15 minutes before striking Dnipro.
The missile had six warheads, each carrying six submunitions, and reached speeds of up to Mach 11 during its flight.
"It should be noted that this is the first time that the remains of such a missile have been discovered on the territory of Ukraine," said an expert with Ukraine's Security Service, who identified himself only by his first name Oleh because he wasn't authorized to discuss the issue with the media.
Newsweek has reached out to Russian and Ukrainian defense ministries via email for comment.
Thursday's missile strike has since sparked fresh concerns in Washington with President-elect Donald Trump's incoming national security adviser Mike Waltz stating that while the administration wants "to get both sides to the table" it is concerned about escalation.
However, in remarks made on Fox News Sunday, Waltz said he has met with Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, to discuss U.S. policy and options in Ukraine, adding that those conversations will continue.
"For our adversaries out there that think this is a time of opportunity, that they can play one administration off the other, they're wrong," he said. "We are hand in glove. We are one team with the United States in this transition."
Waltz seemed to endorse Biden's decision to also send antipersonnel mines for Ukraine forces to use in the conflict and said, "It is a step towards somewhat solidifying the lines," he also emphasized Trump's desire for the conflict to end quickly.
"The president-elect has been very concerned about the escalation and where it's all going," Waltz said. "We need to bring this to a responsible end. We need to restore deterrence, restore peace and get ahead of this escalation ladder, rather than responding to it."
This comes as the war shows no signs of abating. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported over 800 guided bombs and hundreds of drones used by Russia in the past week. Meanwhile, Russia claimed to have shot down 34 Ukrainian drones over its western regions.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press
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