Kremlin talks about message to the West after ballistic missile attack

The above content was given by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov just one day after Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed that Moscow had launched the new Oreshnik hypersonic missile at a Ukrainian military base. This move was in response to Kiev's first attack on Russia with long-range missiles produced by the US and UK.

"The main message is that the West's reckless decisions and actions in producing missiles, supplying them to Ukraine, and then engaging in attacks on Russian territory cannot go unanswered by Russia," the Kremlin spokesman said.

Moscow considers the firing of ATACMS and Storm Shadow missiles by Ukraine into the Bryansk and Kursk regions of Russia as clear evidence that the United States and Britain are directly involved in the current war. Because Ukraine does not have the ability to operate satellite data to target and program the actual flight path of the missiles. Those actions can only be carried out by NATO soldiers.

Also on November 22, the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that all of its missiles hit their targets and this was also the first time Russia used a medium-range hypersonic ballistic missile carrying a conventional warhead in combat.

On the Ukrainian side, the country’s air force reported that Russian forces launched a conventional intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), seven cruise missiles, and a Kinzhal ballistic missile, targeting the Ukrainian city of Dnipro on the morning of November 21. According to The Kyiv Independent, the attack injured at least two people and damaged several buildings, including a rehabilitation center for people with disabilities.

Ukrainian President Zelenskiy said Russia's use of new missiles was a serious escalation and called on the international community to strongly condemn it.

The Kremlin spokesman said the country had notified the US 30 minutes before the missile launch, although technically it was not obliged to warn the US about the attack because the type of missile used was an intermediate-range missile, not an intercontinental one.

This was also confirmed by the Pentagon on November 21, when it said that Russia had notified the United States before conducting a test launch of an intermediate-range ballistic missile targeting Ukraine. Speaking to reporters, Ms. Sabrina Singh - Deputy Secretary of the agency said that the United States was notified shortly before the launch through nuclear risk reduction channels.

Mr. Peskov stressed that President Putin remains open to dialogue to resolve the conflict, but the outgoing administration of US President Joe Biden wants to continue escalating. He also called on the Biden administration to heed warnings issued by President Putin in September.

At that time, President Putin emphasized that the West would be considered directly involved in the war with Russia if it allowed Ukraine to attack Russian territory with Western-made long-range missiles. This is a move that Russia believes will change the nature and scope of the conflict and force Moscow to make "appropriate decisions" based on new threats.

In a televised speech on November 21, President Putin said Russia fired the new missiles after Ukraine, with the approval of the Biden administration, attacked Russia with six US-made ATACMS missiles on November 19 and British Storm Shadow and US HIMARS cruise missiles on November 21. Accordingly, Moscow attacked the Yuzhmash Rocket and Space Company - a missile and defense enterprise in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro.

The Kremlin spokesman hopes that the US has recognized and understood the message from Moscow. He said: "As for dialogue, President Putin stressed in his statement yesterday that he is ready for any contact, aimed at avoiding further escalation of tensions and achieving peace. President Putin's statement yesterday was comprehensive, clear and reasonable. We believe that the current administration in Washington has had the opportunity to fully understand this message."

According to The Kiev Independent, information about the “Oreshnik” missile mentioned by President Putin is very limited. However, military expert Yan Matveev told IStories that this could be a modified version of the Rubezh missile. The RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile is said to have a range of up to 6,000 km and can carry four warheads, each with an explosive power equivalent to 0.3 megatons.

Defense expert and researcher at the University of Oslo, Fabian Hoffmann, told The Kiev Independent that the RS-26 Rubezh missile is equipped with a Multiple Independent Reentry Vehicle (MIRV) warhead system.

Meanwhile, in an interview broadcast by Reuters news agency on the morning of November 22, missile expert Michael Bohnert, of the RAND Corporation, said that the Russian Federation's use of a long-range missile to attack a very close target was seen by Moscow as a message to the West.

According to this expert, by deploying the Oreshnik hypersonic missile, Moscow has shown that it can safely deploy its forces on its own territory - where it cannot be attacked. This gives Russia the advantage of being able to operate effectively near Ukraine, while this is a big disadvantage for Ukraine.

The second aspect concerns the prospects for future negotiations. Ukrainian President Zelensky has asked the West for assistance in acquiring non-nuclear strategic deterrence capabilities, including long-range missiles. Russia’s actions are therefore also a message that the West should not provide Ukraine with long-range strike capabilities for its current tactical needs. The aim is to maintain a safe margin for Russian operations by eliminating the options that the West could provide Ukraine.

Therefore, expert Michael Bohnert commented: "Thus, this is both a tactical and strategic message."