MOSCOW, November 26. /TASS/. The Oreshnik medium-range ballistic missile has become a serious problem for Ukraine as Kiev's existing air defense systems are unable to detect its launch and flight, the former commander of the Polish ground forces, General Waldemar Skrzypczak, told the Fronda portal in an interview.
"The way I see it, the Russians in this way (using the Oreshnik missile - TASS) showed that the air defense systems that the Ukrainians have are unable to counter intercontinental missiles flying at high altitudes. This is a serious problem for the Ukrainians, since no one recorded the launch of this missile. Satellite reconnaissance, be it military, American or commercial, that Ukraine uses should be able to detect the launch and flight of this missile. This did not happen and the alarm was not sounded," Skrzypczak said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on November 21 that the United States and its NATO allies had earlier said they were authorizing the use of long-range high accuracy weapons, after which US and British missiles attacked Russian military facilities in the Kursk and Bryansk regions. He said Russia responded to these attacks by first using the newest non-nuclear Oreshnik medium-range ballistic missiles against Ukraine's defense industry facility, the Yuzhmash plant in Dnepr (formerly Dnepropetrovsk). The Russian leader emphasized that the West's provocative policy could have dire consequences for it if the conflict escalated further.