Russian President Vladimir Putin on Dec. 19 mockingly suggested a "high-tech duel" with the West by launching the Oreshnik missile against Kyiv to prove Western air defenses cannot intercept it.
Speaking during his annual press conference and a call-in program, Putin again claimed that Russia's "new" Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) cannot be intercepted by air defenses.
"And those Western experts who think (the Oreshnik can be intercepted), let them suggest to us and those in the West who pay them to conduct a technological experiment," Putin said.
"Let's call it a high-tech duel of the 21st century. Let them determine some site to hit, let's say, in Kyiv, concentrate all their air defenses there, and we will strike there with the Oreshnik and see what happens."
Russia launched an Oreshnik missile against Dnipro in Ukraine on Nov. 21, supposedly as a response to the U.S. and the U.K. lifting restrictions on Ukraine's long-range strikes inside Russia. The Oreshnik strike was followed by a propaganda blitz reportedly aimed at scaring off the Western support for Kyiv.
Despite Putin's claims, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said that there already are air defense systems that can successfully take down the missile
The U.S. operates the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), designed to intercept intermediate-range ballistic missiles. The system has not been supplied to Ukraine and, therefore, has never been tested against the Oreshnik.
Speaking at the press conference, the Russian president said that U.S. air defense systems are "costly and ineffective" and said he sees "no problem" if Washington supplies THAAD to Ukraine.
Putin also insisted that the Oreshnik missile, which he said has a range of 5,500 kilometers (3,400 miles), is a completely new weapon. Experts disputed this statement, saying that the weapon is based on the existing RS-26 Rubezh system.
The Kremlin's chief previously threatened to strike Kyiv's "decision-making centers" with the Oreshnik and said Russia would begin mass-producing the weapon. Undisclosed Russian officials told The Moscow Times that mass production is unlikely due to Russia's technological shortcomings.
Chris York
(Updated: )
