Moscow, Dec 21: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday challenged Western claims about the Oreshnik missile’s vulnerability, suggesting a direct test to assess its effectiveness against advanced air and missile defence systems in Ukrainian capital Kyiv.During the programme “Year in Review with Vladimir Putin,” hosted by Channel One, a Russian state-controlled television channel, the Russia President proposed a “technological duel” to demonstrate the missile’s capabilities.
When questioned about the West referring to the “Oreshnik” as a modified version of an old Soviet weapon and claiming that the missile could be intercepted by air defence systems even during its launch phase, Putin responded, “This is a modern, very new weapon. Everything that is done in any sphere of activity is based on some previous developments, on previous achievements, and then people take a step forward. The same thing with Oreshnik… This is a new weapon. I repeat: this is a medium- and shorter-range weapon.”
He further said, “Let them (West) identify some target for destruction, say, in Kyiv, concentrate all their air defence and missile defence forces there, and we will strike there with the Oreshnik, and see what happens. We are ready for such an experiment. Is the other side ready? In any case, we do not rule it out. I mean that all their missile defence and air defence systems are still in operation.
Putin expressed his confidence in Russian military advancements and expressed interest in the outcome for both Russia and the United States following a “technological duel.”
He added, “It will be interesting for us. What I told you is what engineers, scientists, and military specialists tell me. At the level of political leadership in the States, they also tell me something. Let’s conduct such an experiment, such a technological duel and see what happens. It’s interesting. I think it will be useful for both us and the American side.”