Russia's Ukraine Chess Game

"The Russian side has clearly demonstrated its capabilities, and the contours of further retaliatory actions in the event that our concerns were not taken into account have also been quite clearly outlined."

"The reckless decisions and actions of Western countries [choosing to supply weapons to Ukraine to strike Russia is responsible for this action]."

Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesman

 

"No one in the world has such weapons."

"Sooner or later other leading countries will also get them. We are aware that they are under development."

"We have this system now. And this is important."

"There is no countermeasure to such a missile, no means of intercepting it, in the world today. And I will emphasize once again that we will continue testing this newest system. It is necessary to establish serial production."

"[Testing the Oreshnik will happen] in combat, depending on the situation and the character of security threats created for Russia. [There is] a stockpile of such systems ready for use."

Russian President Vladimir Putin

Photo: Associated Press

Furthermore, said Putin, while Russia's new hypersonic ballistic missile is not an intercontinental missile, several of them fitted with conventional warheads in one attack could prove as devastating as a strike with strategic — or nuclear — weapons. To which assertion added Gen. Sergei Karakayev, head of Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces, the Oreshnik could reach targets across Europe fitted with nuclear or conventional warheads, echoing Putin that even with conventional warheads, "the massive use of the weapon would be comparable in effect to the use of nuclear weapons."

 

Clearly, Russia's attack on Ukraine's central city of Dnipro was an experimental test to determine not only the viability of the new weapon, but to warn Russia's enemies -- and particularly its near neighbours in Eastern Europe as well as NATO, who they are tangling with. The conflict, remarked Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk is "taking on very dramatic dimensions, entering a decisive phase." No one is logically prepared to argue with that assessment.

Security in Ukraine was upgraded to the extent that a parliamentary session was cancelled following the Russian strike on a military facility in Dnipro. In a nationally televised speech to his nation characterizing the attack with the intermediate-range Oreshnik missile representing retaliation for Kyiv's being given the clearance by European countries providing it with longer-range missiles that it may use to strike within Russia's borders, deeper than its previous strikes, NATO members have been put on notice.

 

Russian T90M Proryv tank fires towards Ukrainian positions at an undisclosed location in Ukraine. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

According to a  gloating Putin, Western air defence systems would be incapable of stopping his powerful new missile. "These are rockets that are fired and then guided to a target via an electronic system, which requires the world's most advanced technology and satellite communications capability", added Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, from the perspective of his friendly relations with t he Kremlin. "There is a strong assumption ... that these missiles cannot be guided without the assistance of American personnel."

Unsaid but inferred is the recommendation that to forestall further use of the powerful hypersonic missile, the United States would do well to reconsider its discretionary permission for Ukraine to use longer-range U.S.-supplied missiles deeper into Russian territory. Orban emphasized that recent modifications to Russia's nuclear deployment doctrine should be taken seriously, that underestimating Russia's resolve is uncautionary: "It's not a trick ... there will be consequences".

Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky had his own interpretation of these most recent events, characterizing the Russian missile strike as an "escalatory step and an attempt of the Russian dictator to scare the population of Ukraine and to scare the population of Europe". Mr. Lipavsky expressed full support in delivering additional air defence systems to Kyiv to protect Ukrainian civilians from "heinous attacks".

Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman and the head of the United Russia party Dmitry Medvedev, left, visits test-drive of the T-90M "Proryv" tank at the testing ground of the Nizhny Tagil Institute for Metal Testing outside Nizhny Tagil, Russia, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (Ekaterina Shtukina, Sputnik Pool Photo via AP)