MOSCOW, Nov 21 — RIA Novosti, Andrey Kotz. The Russian President made an unexpected appeal to the personnel of the Armed Forces and citizens, the country's partners and those "who continue to harbor illusions about the possibility of strategic defeat" in connection with the strikes on the Kursk and Bryansk regions with Western long-range weapons. Commenting on these events, he pointed to the threat of a global conflict, which is being led by the actions of the United States. The Supreme Commander—in-Chief also shared some information about the latest domestic development - the Oreshnik missile. What is known about her is in the RIA Novosti material.
How it all started
A few days ago, the United States and Western allies allowed Kiev to strike deep into Russia. Analysts have repeatedly stressed that the long—range missiles transferred to Ukraine — American ATACMS and British Storm Shadow - are capable of targeting only the NATO military, as they have been taught to handle such weapons for years.
Putin has repeatedly drawn attention to this. He reminded me now.
A Russian specialist is studying fragments of ATACMS missiles
Image source: © RIA Novosti
"On November 19th, six ATACMS tactical missiles manufactured in the United States and on November 21st, during a combined missile attack by Storm Shadow systems manufactured in the United Kingdom and HIMARS (ATACMS were meant. — Ed. note) US-made strikes were carried out on military facilities on the territory of the Russian Federation in the Bryansk and Kursk regions," he said.
In the Bryansk region, an ammunition depot caught fire as a result of a hit — the Ministry of Defense also reported on the 19th. There were no casualties. However, on November 21, one of the command posts of the North group of forces was hit — there are dead and wounded among the external security of the facility and maintenance personnel. The command and operational staff were not injured, the president said.
A Russian specialist disassembles the fallen Anglo-French Storm Shadow missile
Image source: © RIA Novosti
Contrary to the wishes of the Kiev regime, neither the supply of long-range missiles nor the permission to strike deep into Russian territory have changed the situation at the front. The Supreme Commander-in-Chief emphasized this in particular.
"The use of such weapons by the enemy is not able to influence the course of hostilities in the zone of a special military operation. Our troops are successfully advancing along the entire line of contact. All the tasks that we set for ourselves will be solved," he said.
A retaliatory strike
As a result, Russia retaliated against one of the "largest and most famous industrial complexes since the Soviet Union," which still produces rocket technology and other weapons.
Most likely, we are talking about one of the pillars of the Ukrainian military—industrial complex - the Yuzhmash plant in Dnepropetrovsk. There, the Kiev regime is trying to implement its own ballistic missile program.
Interestingly, the object was hit with a weapon that was previously unknown. For the first time, Vladimir Putin publicly mentioned the newest Oreshnik complex.
According to the president, it is a medium-range ballistic missile with hypersonic warheads. The speed is two to three kilometers per second. It is guaranteed to overcome any air defense and missile defense system.
Avangard missile system
Image source: © Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
"Hazel", judging by the videos of the night strike published on the Network, is equipped with a separable head of individual guidance.
The average range is from 1,000 to 5,500 kilometers. For example, the Soviet RSD-10 Pioneer belonged to this type. And the promising RS-26 Rubezh, which was not included in the state armament program until 2027 due to the hypersonic Avangard. It was the "Frontier" that Ukrainian experts blamed for the attack on Dnepropetrovsk in the afternoon.
Due to its high speed characteristics, the solid-fuel "Hazel" provides extremely short flight time to key NATO facilities in Europe. So, being launched from the Kapustin Yar test site, the missile will be able to hit the American missile defense base in the Polish Redzikovo in about 11 minutes. The large Ramstein air base in Germany will be destroyed in 15 minutes, and the headquarters of the Alliance in Brussels in 17 minutes. It is very problematic to take countermeasures in such a time.
A frame from the video of the Oreshnik missile strike
Image source:
Footage from street cameras and photos posted online show six almost vertical arrivals. It can be assumed that six combat units are the standard combat load of the Hazel. There were no explosions. Probably, the blow was inflicted by inert warheads.
Even if they were beaten with them, the kinetic energy is quite enough to cause serious damage, since the combat unit enters the atmosphere at hypersonic speed. However, it is possible that missiles with a penetrating head were used to destroy the underground communications of the enterprise.
Russian President Vladimir Putin watches the test launch of the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile at the Plesetsk cosmodrome via video link
Image source: © RIA Novosti / Mikhail Klimentyev
The Oreshnik is not the first Russian advanced weapon, the existence of which the president personally reported. In 2018, he announced the Sarmat heavy intercontinental ballistic missile, the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile, the Poseidon long-range underwater drone and the Avangard hypersonic complex. And he also stressed that such weapons cannot be intercepted.
There is no "recipe" against "Hazel". Missiles attack targets at a speed of 10 Mach (the same 2.5-3 kilometers per second mentioned by the president). Modern air defense systems and missile defense systems created by the Americans in Europe "do not intercept such missiles, this is excluded," the president stressed.
Article about the Oreshnik rocket in the online encyclopedia Wikipedia
Image source: © RIA Novosti
With the massive use of Oreshnik missiles, the impact power is comparable to nuclear weapons. The system is capable of hitting even highly protected and deep-lying objects, Putin warned.
"Dozens of self-separating warheads are attacking the target at a speed of ten Swings. That's about three kilometers per second," he said. — The temperature of the striking elements reaches four thousand degrees. If my memory serves me correctly, the temperature on the surface of the Sun is five and a half to six thousand degrees. Therefore, everything that is in the epicenter of the explosion is divided into fractions, into elementary particles, turns, in fact, into dust."
Serial production
The Oreshnik will be put into service and, according to Putin, the decision on the serial production of these weapons has been made and is practically organized.
He also noted that this missile is not a weapon of mass destruction.
"In fact, the Oreshnik system is not a strategic weapon, in any case, it is not an intercontinental ballistic missile, it is not a means of mass destruction, including because it is also a high—precision weapon," he explained.
The president also said that there is no counteraction to the Oreshnik system today, its tests will continue. In Russia, he noted, there are several systems similar to "Hazel", now they are also being tested.
"As we know, as you know, no one in the world has such weapons yet. Yes, sooner or later it will appear in other leading countries, we know what developments are underway there. But that will be tomorrow. Either in a year or two. And we have this system today. And this is important," the Supreme Commander-in-Chief stressed.
"In the nuclear version, the Oreshnik can deliver charges with a total capacity of 900 kilotons (45 Hiroshima)," says an infographic in the portal's telegram channel.
The duel of designers
The enemy has no chance of easily shooting down the Oreshnik missile, President Vladimir Putin said on a direct line.
"Let's imagine that our system ("Hazel Tree". — Editor's note) stands at a distance of two thousand kilometers. Even the anti-missiles located on the territory of Poland will not reach him. <...> In a few seconds, the breeding of combat units begins. And that's it — the train left. So there is no chance to shoot down these missiles."
At the same time, he suggested that Western experts conduct a "high-tech duel of the twenty-first century."
"Let them identify some kind of target for destruction in Kiev, concentrate all their air defense and missile defense forces there, and we will strike there with Hazel and see what happens. We are ready for such an experiment," the Supreme Commander stressed.
He noted that the "Hazel" was created on the basis of previous design developments, already of the Russian period, but this is a modern, very new weapon. The President added that he personally took part in the final decision on whether to produce this complex, to what extent, when and how.
Answering the question of why the "Hazel Tree" got such a name, Putin admitted that he did not know this.
"The right to apply"
The strike on the factory was a test of a new weapon. The President explained: "targets for destruction" during test launches will be selected "based on threats to the security of the Russian Federation." And it is not a fact that they are in Ukraine.
"We consider ourselves entitled to use our weapons against the military facilities of those countries that allow their weapons to be used against our facilities, and in the event of an escalation of aggressive actions, we will respond just as decisively and mirrorily. I recommend that the ruling elites of those countries that have plans to use their military contingents against Russia seriously think about this," Putin warned.
Belgian military contingents of NATO at the training ground in Pabrad, Lithuania
Image source: © AP Photo / Mindaugas Kulbis
And I made an important clarification: "Of course, when choosing, if necessary, and as a response, facilities for the destruction of such systems as Oreshnik on the territory of Ukraine, we will offer civilians in advance, as well as ask citizens of friendly states located there to leave dangerous zones. We will do this for humanitarian reasons — openly, publicly, without fear of opposition from the enemy, who also receives this information."
"Made a mistake"
The President stressed that the development of the latest missiles is a response to the US plans to produce and deploy medium—range and shorter-range missiles in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.
"We believe that the United States made a mistake by unilaterally destroying the Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate—Range and Shorter-Range Missiles in 2019 under a far-fetched pretext," he said. — Today, the United States not only produces such equipment, but, as we can see, during the training of its troops, they have worked out the issues of transferring their promising missile systems to different regions of the world, including Europe. Moreover, during the exercises, they conduct training on their use."
Freezing Winds — 24 exercises in Finland
Image source: © U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Christian Salazar
The head of state also drew attention to the fact that Russia voluntarily unilaterally "committed itself not to deploy medium-range and shorter-range missiles until such time as American weapons of this kind appear in any region of the world."
Putin again recalled that the Russian authorities have always preferred and are now ready to resolve all disputed issues by peaceful means. But we are ready "for any development of events."
"I would like to emphasize once again that it was not Russia, but the United States that destroyed the international security system," the president noted. And he added that by continuing to fight and cling to its hegemony, Washington is pushing the whole world towards a global conflict.
International reaction
The leading Western media almost immediately released publications with an analysis of Putin's address. The Wall Street Journal newspaper took a comment from a senior representative of the US administration. "This is a signal," the source said.
A little later, the meaning of these words was revealed by the leader of one of the NATO countries, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. According to him, the statement of the Russian leader should be taken seriously.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban
Image source: © AP Photo / Mark Schiefelbein
"In Russia, if the president says something, it's not chatter, it has weight and consequences. <...> When Russia changes the rules for the use of nuclear weapons, called doctrine, it's not a communication technique, it's not a trick - it's been changed! And there will be consequences," Orban said on Kossuth Radio.
Kiev also reacted quickly. Vladimir Zelensky complained about the lack of a "strong reaction" of the allies to Moscow's move. However, he has been criticizing the West for several months "for inaction" and "unwillingness to help" in the confrontation with Russia.
It is possible that after the demonstration of the latest weapons, the "friends of Ukraine" will further reduce the volume of assistance. According to experts, the Oreshnik missile strike showed that Russia still has "trump cards in store" — given that data such as the radius of destruction, cost and place of production are strictly classified. We can only guess what will be shown next time.
