‘Most dangerous stage’: The view from Russia as Ukraine war escalates

Officials rage at the West for allowing Ukraine to attack deep within Russia as fears simmer on the streets.

Last week, a defence industry site in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro was struck by a Russian medium-range ballistic missile, which President Vladimir Putin described as a response to “NATO’s aggressive actions against Russia”.

Early reports that Dnipro was hit by an intercontinental ballistic missile proved inaccurate.

Moscow’s deployment of the new weapon, named Oreshnik, followed a series of Ukrainian rocket strikes into western Russian territory using United States-supplied ATACMS long-range missiles, targeting military facilities in the regions of Bryansk and Kursk.

In his statement, Putin acknowledged that the Ukrainian attacks caused casualties among Russian troops.

“I’m scared,” said a young St Petersburg resident who requested anonymity.