ANKARA, November 22. /TASS/. The Oreshnik non-nuclear hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile fired by Russia at a Ukrainian defense facility poses a serious threat to the West and also highlights the new capabilities of Moscow's nuclear triad, Abdullah Agar, a leading Turkish security expert, told TASS.
"These missiles pose an extremely significant threat due to their range, speed, and payload capacity. Notably, they pose a threat not only to Ukraine but also to the entire Western world, including continental Europe and Great Britain. This is how Russia has demonstrated its new capabilities related to the nuclear triad. This is a direct warning and a challenge to the West, which is supporting, financing, and sponsoring the war in Ukraine. In fact, Russia has made it clear that if the West continues to pursue the same policy, it will face a response. This time, the response came in conventional form, but there is also a nuclear option," the expert noted.
He pointed out that during the conflict, the parties "have made numerous political, strategic, diplomatic, and military steps, testing each other’s capabilities on the battlefield." "Now, tensions have escalated in the war, and the parties have begun to show their intention to escalate the conflict to a new level amid increasing violence. There are several reasons for that. The issue is that things aren’t going well on the frontline for Ukraine and the West, while Russia has seized the initiative and is making progress. This is fueling debates and creating instability in the West," the analyst asserted.
Agar also believes that Moscow viewed Ukraine’s use of Western-supplied ATACMS and Storm Shadow missiles, one of which hit a target in Russia, as another potential threat to its future military logistics. "First, it seems impossible to use these weapons without Western support and the involvement of Western personnel, which is what Russia has been pointing out. This provoked a strong response from Russia. Western air defenses are unable to intercept the weapons it used, Moscow said," he added.
The expert maintained that "Russia’s challenge may either increase instability inside the Western world or ensure greater consolidation." "On the other hand, I think we are seeing the parties testing their capabilities on the battlefield. At the end of the day, these mutual tests may create conditions for negotiations. However, it will be negotiations about the parties’ spheres of influence," Agar concluded.
Oreshnik missile attack
On November 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the Russian Armed Forces had carried out a precision strike on Ukraine’s Yuzhmash defense industry facility in retaliation against the use of US-and UK-made weapons for strikes on Russia. According to Putin, the intermediate-range ballistic missile was named Oreshnik (or Hazel Bush). The president said that no weapons were currently capable of countering the Oreshnik missile, which strikes targets at a speed of two to three kilometers per second. The head of state also emphasized that the use of long-range weapons against Russia could not impact the course of Moscow's special military operation.