MOSCOW, December 6. /TASS/. Russia’s strike with the novel Oreshnik hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile has demonstrated that Moscow is ready to use any means to prevent the West from "strategically defeating" it, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with noted US journalist Tucker Carlson.
"The United States, and the allies of the United States who also provide these long-range weapons to the Kiev regime, they must understand that we would be ready to use any means not to allow them to succeed in what they call ‘strategic defeat of Russia.’ They fight for keeping the hegemony over the world in any country, any region, any continent. We fight for our legitimate security interests," the top Russian diplomat said, replying to a question as to what message Russia sent by using the Oreshnik missile.
"So the message which we wanted to send by testing in real action this hypersonic system is that we will be ready to do anything to defend our legitimate interests," Lavrov added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin pointed out on November 21 that US-and UK-made missiles had targeted military facilities in Russia’s borderline Kursk and Bryansk regions following a move by the US and its NATO allies to authorize the use of their long-range weapons for strikes against Russia. According to Putin, in retaliation to the attacks, Russia for the first time used its newest Oreshnik non-nuclear intermediate-range ballistic missiles against Ukraine’s Yuzhmash defense industry facility in the city of Dnepropetrovsk (called Dnepr in Ukraine). The Russian leader emphasized that the West could face dire consequences if its provocative policy escalated the conflict further.