Serial Production of Oreshnik Ballistic Missile Has Already Begun: Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin, Nov. 28, 2024. X/ @RT_com
November 28, 2024 Hour: 7:46 am
The Russian president is attending the Collective Security Treaty Organization summit in Kazakhstan.
On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that the mass production of the hypersonic ballistic missile Oreshnik, used for the first time last week in an attack on a Ukrainian military factory, has already begun.
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Currently, he is attending the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) summit taking place in Astana (Kazakhstan), where he emphasized that Russia was forced to test the new missile in combat conditions “in response to Western weapon attacks on the territories of the Bryansk and Kursk regions.”
Putin referred to U.S.-made ATACMS missiles and British Storm Shadow missiles that struck Russian military infrastructure on several occasions over the past ten days. “Despite our warnings about the danger of escalating the conflict, attacks on our territory were carried out,” the Kremlin leader remarked.
Putin reiterated that Russia has repeatedly warned that attacks using long-range Western weapons would mean the direct involvement of NATO countries in the armed conflict in Ukraine, “as the use of such weapons without the direct participation of military personnel and specialists from NATO countries is simply impossible.”
He also assured that Russia would continue responding to attacks on its territory and that its Ministry of Defense is selecting new targets, which could include both military installations and decision-making centers in Ukraine.
“Ultimately, we will choose the means of attack depending on the nature of the targets selected for destruction and the threats posed to the Russian Federation,” Putin declared, adding that Russia has several systems similar to the Oreshnik ready for use in combat conditions.
Regarding the Oreshnik missile itself, Putin stated that everything at the epicenter of the explosion caused by this weapon “is essentially reduced to dust.” Putin reiterated that the missile’s speed (2.5–3 kilometers per second) makes it undetectable by enemy anti-missile batteries, but he insisted that it is not a weapon of mass destruction, as it is much more precise.
Additionally, the Russian president assigned the new missile to Russian Strategic Forces last week, largely due to its range of several thousand kilometers. Meanwhile, the commander of Russia’s Strategic Forces, Sergei Karakaev, issued a warning to European countries, stating that the Oreshnik “can strike targets across all of Europe.”
teleSUR/ JF Source: EFE