The intermediate-range missile did not carry nuclear weapons, but it is part of a strategic arsenal that is capable of delivering them.
President Vladimir V. Putin escalated a tense showdown with the West on Thursday, saying that Russia had launched a new intermediate-range ballistic missile at Ukraine in response to Ukraine’s recent use of American and British weapons to strike deeper into Russia.
In what appeared to be an ominous threat against Ukraine’s western allies, Mr. Putin also asserted that Russia had the right to strike the military facilities of countries “that allow their weapons to be used against our facilities.”
His warning came hours after Russia’s military fired a nuclear-capable ballistic missile at Ukraine that Western officials and analysts said was meant to instill fear in Kyiv and the West. Though the missile carried only conventional warheads, using it signaled that Russia could strike with nuclear weapons if it chooses.
If it’s causing you issues, you may want to try to avoid it. Putin’s strongest weapon is his threat of nuclear war. It isn’t going to happen though. That’s why people joke about it. It disarms the weapon, because a threat is only a threat as long as people believe it. If Putin launched a nuke, China would cut them loose and NATO would destroy them with conventional weapons incredibly quickly.
Putin wants you to be scared. Either learn that it’s a meaningless threat or stop listening to it. The threats aren’t going to stop.