Russia's looming missile threat: Ukraine braces for next strike
Russia may launch another medium-range Oreshnik ballistic missile towards Ukraine in the coming days, reports Bloomberg, citing an American official. According to the Associated Press, this has also been confirmed by U.S. intelligence. Washington believes that such actions by the Kremlin are intended to intimidate Ukraine.
- Russia likely possesses only a handfulof them. The weapon has a smaller warhead than other missiles Russia has deployed in Ukraine - said the official, who requested anonymity. He added that "We assess that the Oreshnik is not a game-changer on the battlefield."
Moscow used the Oreshnik for the first time last month in response to the U.S. approving Ukraine's use of American weapons on Russian territory.
On Sunday, the American embassy in Kyiv issued a security alert for U.S. citizens in Ukraine. The reason? An increased threat from Russian missiles and drones attacking Ukraine's critical civilian infrastructure. At that time, there was already concern that the Kremlin would attack Ukraine with an Oreshnik missile.
As reported by Russian media, from 10 to 13 December, the airspace over the Kapustin Yar proving ground - from where the Oreshnik missile was launched - will be closed.
- This may indicate preparations for an attack on central Kyiv - political scientist Vadim Denysenko informed in a comment for NEXTA. - It's hard to predict what's going to happen now. But if the Russians strike with the Oreshnik, it means that Putin is not yet ready for negotiations and intends to delay them, he added.
On 21 November 2024, the Russians attacked the Ukrainian city of Dnipro for the first time with an Oreshnik missile equipped with six warheads, and the flight time from the Astrakhan region in Russia to the target was just 15 minutes.
