MOSCOW – The Russian navy will have the new hypersonic Zircon cruise missiles in early January, one of the weapons Moscow has developed in recent years, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday.
In early January, the Admiral Gorshkov frigate will be equipped with the new Zircon hypersonic missile, which has no equivalent in the world, Mr Putin said during a meeting with his countrys high-ranking officers amid the Ukraine military offensive.
The Russian leader also promised to give his armed forces anything they asked for to support the military campaign in Ukraine, with no financial limits on what the government would provide its military.
The armed forces and combat capabilities of our armed forces are increasing constantly and every day. And this process, of course, we will build up on, Mr Putin said during the televised meeting.
He added that Russia will also improve the combat readiness of our nuclear triad.
The Russian leader has repeatedly said that Moscow has been developing new types of weapons including hypersonic weapons that he boasts can circumvent all existing missile defence systems.
Nearly ten months into the fighting, Russia has faced a series of humiliating setbacks on the ground in Ukraine.
Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu said on Wednesday that Russian servicemen in Ukraine are fighting the combined forces of the West there.
Mr Shoigu also said that Moscow plans to use two Ukrainian port cities on the Sea of Azov that its troop seized during the offensive.
The ports in Berdyansk and Mariupol are fully functioning. We plan to deploy there bases for support vessels, emergency rescue services and ship repair units of the navy, Mr Shoigu added. AFP, REUTERS