The US warned Ukrainians of a new Oreshnik strike
11 December 2024 19:10
US intelligence has concluded that Russia could use its new Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile against Ukraine again in the coming days. This was reported by the Associated Press with reference to a US official who spoke to journalists on condition of anonymity, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
According to the official, the experimental Russian Oreshnik missile is viewed by the US authorities as an attempt to intimidate rather than change the situation on the battlefield in Ukraine.
“The threat comes at a time when both sides are trying to gain a battlefield advantage in a nearly 3-year war that President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to end, and just days after the United States pledged to provide Ukraine with about $1 billion in new security assistance,” the official said.
He added that Russia has only a handful of Oreshnik missiles, and they are equipped with smaller warheads than other missiles that Russia regularly launches at Ukraine.
As a reminder, Russia first used these weapons during a missile attack on Dnipro on November 21. A few hours later, Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared on television and boasted about the new hypersonic missile. He warned the West that its next use could be against Ukraine’s NATO allies, who have allowed Kyiv to use their longer-range missiles to strike Russian territory.
The attack came two days after Putin signed a revised version of Russia’s nuclear doctrine that lowered the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons. The doctrine allows for a potential nuclear response by Moscow even to a conventional attack on Russia by any country that enjoys the support of a nuclear power.
