The Oreshnik missile fired on Tuesday apparently took off from Russia’s Kapustin Yar missile base about 800 kilometers from the Dnieper, well away from intense fighting.
This is the first time an IRBM has been used in combat. The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, ratified by the United States and the Soviet Union in 1988, banned land-launched missiles. The US withdrew from the treaty in 2019. in Trump’s first administration, citing Russian noncompliance. At the time, US officials noted that China, which is not a signatory to the treaty, has more than 1,000 IRBMs in its arsenal.
Putin said Western air defenses were unable to destroy the Oreshnik missile in flight, although this claim could not be confirmed. He said Russia would provide warnings to Ukraine in advance of such missile attacks in the future to allow civilians to escape from danger zones.
The Oreshnik missiles hit their targets at speeds up to Mach 10, or 2.5 to 3 kilometers per second, Putin said. “Existing air defense systems around the world, including those being developed by the US in Europe, are unable to intercept such missiles.”
Global war?
In perhaps the most chilling part of his remarks, Putin said the conflict in Ukraine was “taking on global dimensions” and said Russia had the right to use missiles against Western countries supplying weapons for Ukraine to use against Russian targets.
“In case of escalation, we will respond decisively and in kind,” Putin said. “I advise the ruling elites of those countries that plan to use their military forces against Russia to seriously consider this.”
The change in nuclear doctrine approved by Putin earlier this week also lowers the threshold for Russia’s use of nuclear weapons to counter a conventional attack that threatens Russia’s “territorial integrity.”
This has probably already happened. Ukraine launched an offensive in Russia’s Kursk region in August, taking control of more than 1,000 square kilometers of Russian land. Russian forces, aided by North Korean troops, stage a counteroffensive to try to retake the territory.
Singh called Russia’s invitation for North Korean troops “escalating” and said Putin could “choose to end this war today.”
U.S. officials say Russian forces are suffering about 1,200 deaths or injuries per day in the war. In September, The Wall Street Journal reported that one million Ukrainians and Russians had been killed or wounded in the war, according to US intelligence sources.
The UN human rights office recently reported that 11,973 civilians have been killed, including 622 children, since the full-scale Russian invasion began in February 2022.
“We warned Russia back in 2022. not to do that and they did it anyway, so there are consequences for that,” Singh said. “But we don’t want this to escalate into a wider regional conflict.” We are not looking for war with Russia.
This story originally appeared on Ars Technica.
