Russia fires new generation hypersonic missiles in Mediterranean drills

Number of Russian troops stationed in the region was 'increased' for the exercises

A Russian navy frigate launches a Zircon hypersonic cruise missile during drills in the Mediterranean Sea. AP

Russia fired new generation hypersonic cruise missiles, including one capable of carrying nuclear warheads, during drills in the eastern Mediterranean, the country’s Defence Ministry said.

Crews of navy frigates fired Zircon hypersonic anti-ship missiles, while a submarine launched a Kalibr cruise missile, and an Onyx anti-ship missile was fired from the coat, the ministry said. The Kalibr is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.

The number of Russian troops stationed in the region had been increased in time for the exercises.

The tests come as Russia air power attacks a Syrian rebel offensive where President Bashar Al Assad's forces have lost the second city of Aleppo. Moscow has been a key ally of Mr Al Assad since the Syrian civil war started in 2011.

Russia has a naval base in Syria at Tartus but the statement did not say where the drills took place.

“On December 3, during an exercise to test the combined activities of Russian navy and air force troop groups, precision sea-based missiles were launched in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea,” Russia's Defence Ministry said in a post on Telegram.

“In the course of preparing for the exercise, the Russian armed forces' troops grouping in the eastern Mediterranean was increased,” the ministry added.

More than 1,000 troops, 10 vessels and 24 aircraft were taking part in the drills, it said.

The ministry published images showing the launch of several missiles from ships and land and images of a target in open water being hit.

Meanwhile, Kremlin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday Russia is not yet ready to enter negotiations to bring the war in Ukraine to an end.

“There are no grounds for negotiations yet,” Mr Peskov told the Izvestia newspaper. “Many countries have declared their readiness to provide their territory … And we are grateful to all countries for such goodwill, including Qatar”.

Qatar has mediated several returns of Ukrainian children taken to Russia from the conflict zone since the start of the war. Thousands of civilians, the vast majority of them Ukrainians, have been killed since Russia launched its invasion of the country in February 2022.

Valentina Matviyenko, Speaker of the Federation Council, Russia's upper house of parliament, said on Monday that there could be attempts to begin peace talks with Ukraine in 2025.

In late November, sources told Reuters that Russian President Vladimir Putin was open to discussing a ceasefire deal in Ukraine with president-elect Donald Trump and could agree to freeze the conflict along the front line. Russian troops control about 20 per cent of Ukraine's territory and have been advancing lately at the fastest pace since the early days of the war.

But the Kremlin has said repeatedly it will not negotiate with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy unless Ukraine renounces its plan to join Nato and withdraws troops from territories now controlled by Russian troops.

Kyiv, which on Tuesday declared that it would not settle for anything less than Nato membership to guarantee its security, has also said it will not compromise its territory.

With Mr Trump promising to bring the war to a swift end after taking office in January and naming an envoy to Ukraine who favours freezing battle lines, concerns are growing in Kyiv and among its allies that the terms of any potential ceasefire pact would favour Russia and leave Ukraine vulnerable.

US President Joe Biden's outgoing administration – Ukraine's largest supporter – has sought to bolster Kyiv before leaving office, allowing Ukraine to use its long-range missiles to strike into Russia.

On Monday, in the latest of similar moves, it approved another military aid package to Kyiv, this time worth $725 million.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the latest arms shipments would include Stinger missiles, ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, and drones and land mines.