27, The New York Times reported on Dec. 4.The conversation occurred just six days after Russia launched a new intermediate-range ballistic missile, the Oreshnik, at Dnipro in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed the strike was in response to Ukraine's use of American and British weapons to target deeper within Russia.During the call, Gerasimov told Brown that the missile launch had been planned well before the U.S. authorized Ukraine to use ATACMS missiles for deeper strikes into Russian territory, undisclosed official sources told the New York Times. Captain Jereal Dorsey, a spokesperson for Brown, confirmed the call, noting that it was conducted at Gerasimov's request and that Brown agreed not to announce it proactively.The Nov. 21 Oreshnik missile strike on Dnipro prompted a media blitz in Russia.