The United States believes Russia fired a previously untested medium-range ballistic missile in Thursday's attack on Ukraine, and analysts say the escalation could have implications for European missile defenses. Pointed out.
Here's what we know so far about the missile.
What kind of ballistic missile is it?
The US military said the Russian missile design is based on that of Russia's longer-range RS-26 Lubezh intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
The new missiles are experimental, and Russia is likely to have only a few in its possession, officials said.
The Pentagon said the missile was launched with a conventional warhead, but could be modified if the Russian government desired.
“It may be modified to reliably carry various types of conventional and nuclear warheads,” Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said.
Geoffrey Lewis, a nonproliferation expert at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in California, said Russian President Vladimir Putin had previously announced that Russia would follow Washington and Berlin in completing development of an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) system. He said that he was suggesting. The two countries agreed to deploy long-range missiles from the United States to Germany starting in 2026.
“RS-26 is always [a] He’s a top candidate,” Lewis said.
Singh said the new missile is considered “experimental” by the Pentagon. “This is the first time we've seen this used on the battlefield…That's why we consider it experimental.”
US and UK sources believe the missile fired at Dnipro was an experimental nuclear-capable intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), with a theoretical range of less than 3,420 miles (5,500 km). It was shown that This is enough to reach Europe from where it was launched in southwestern Russia, but not the United States.
The Ukrainian Air Force initially said the missile was an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Although the IRBM launch sent a less threatening signal, the incident could still raise alarms, and the Russian government briefly notified Washington before the launch, U.S. officials said.
Will Russian missile attacks affect NATO?
Timothy Wright of the International Institute for Strategic Studies says Russia's new missile development will influence decisions by NATO countries about what air defense systems to buy and what strike capabilities to pursue. He said it was possible.
The construction of a new US ballistic missile defense base in northern Poland has already sparked an angry reaction from the Russian government. The US military base at Redikobo is part of NATO's extensive missile shield, designed to intercept short- to medium-range ballistic missiles.
Still, Putin said Thursday's launch of the new IRBM was not in response to the Polish base, but rather to Ukraine's recent long-range attacks by Western weapons into Russian territory.
After President Joe Biden's approval, Putin said Ukraine attacked Russia on Nov. 19 with U.S.-made Atakum missiles, and on Nov. 21 with British Storm Shadow missiles and U.S.-made Himals. Ta.
What does President Vladimir Putin say about new missiles?
In a televised address to the nation, the Russian president admitted that Russia had attacked military facilities in Ukraine with a new ballistic missile, saying the missile was named “Oleshnik” (Hazel).
He said the deployment was “in response to the U.S. plan to manufacture and deploy medium- and short-range missiles” and that Russia would “respond decisively and symmetrically” in the event of an escalation.
The Russian government said it targeted a missile and defense company in Dnipro, central Ukraine, where the missile and space rocket company Pivdenmash, known to Russians as Yuzhmash, is based.
President Putin said Russia is developing short- and medium-range missiles in response to the United States' plans to produce and deploy medium- and short-range missiles in Europe and Asia.
Regarding intermediate-range nuclear forces, the Russian president said, “I think the United States made a mistake in unilaterally abandoning the Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate-Range and Short-Range Missiles in 2019 under outlandish pretexts.'' (INF) Treaty.
The United States formally withdrew from the 1987 (INF) agreement with Russia in 2019 after saying Russia was violating the agreement, an accusation the Kremlin denied.
