Russian ballistic missile attack a ‘severe escalation’, says Zelenskyy

Putin vowed to launch more intermediate-range ballistic missile targeting Ukraine

The latest statements from the leaders came hours after Ukraine's parliament shut down over heightened fears of a missile attack.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the Russian missile strike another escalation after deployment of North Korean troops on Russian soil.

Russia’s rewritten nuclear doctrine, signed by Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, has lowered the threshold for a first Russian nuclear strike, with Moscow now technically able to use nuclear weapons in response to a drone attack.