12/01/2024

What Putin’s Nuclear-capable Missile Means for NATO Security

His use of the missile against Ukraine sends a powerful signal to NATO

After Russia's launch last week of its Oreshnik intermediate-range missile, state-owned propaganda outlet RT aired a video graphic depicting the missile's flight times to major European capitals: 20 minutes to London and Paris, 15 minutes to Berlin and 12 minutes to Warsaw.

In his most aggressive nuclear signaling since invading Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly extolled the missile in public statements, claiming that NATO has no way to intercept it and warning that Moscow could use it against Kyiv's "decision-making centers." The missile is nuclear-capable; however, for now, Putin says, it will be armed with multiple conventional warheads.

"We believe that we have the right to use our weapons against the military facilities of those countries that allow their weapons to be used against our facilities," Putin said in a Nov. 21 address, announcing the Oreshnik strike on an aerospace manufacturer in Dnipro, Ukraine.

Please select this link to read the complete article from The Washington Post.