Russia’s Iskander short-range ballistic missile system has a similar payload to all three modifications of the US-made ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System), but boasts a longer range, Putin said during the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) summit in Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana, on Thursday.
“The new American PrSM (Precision Strike Missile) system is in no way superior to its Russian counterparts in terms of its characteristics,” he added.
Earlier this month, the US, UK and France allowed Ukraine to use the long-range weapons that they’d supplied earlier to conduct strikes on internationally-recognized Russian territory. Several such attacks have already taken place. Kiev’s forces are currently equipped with American ATACMS as well as British Storm Shadow and French SCALP missiles.
“We know, of course, how many relevant weapons systems our potential opponent has; where exactly they are located; how many weapons have been delivered to Ukraine and how many are planned to be delivered,” Putin stressed.
The Russian president said that “no arms deliveries, even of the most advanced weapons, to Ukraine will change the situation on the battlefield”.
He also pointed out that Moscow vastly surpasses Ukraine’s Western backers in terms of production of long-range weapons.
“As for the output of the relevant missile systems, in Russia it is ten times higher than the combined production in all NATO countries, and next year it will grow by another 25-30%.”
The president noted that Russia’s arsenal already includes Kalibr cruise missiles as well as Kinzhal and Zircon hypersonic missiles, which “in terms of their characteristics have no analogues in the world”. Their production is now “in full swing” and is being extended further, he added.
In the coming the years, new state-of-the-art hypersonic systems would be added to the country’s “menu”, Putin promised.
The Russian military is selecting targets in Ukraine for further possible strikes using the country’s new Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missiles, Putin warned.
Potential targets for the missiles could be “decision making centers” in Kiev, the Russian leader stated.
Military facilities could also be targeted, along with defense and industrial enterprises – “especially since the Kiev regime has repeatedly attempted to strike at facilities of national importance in Russia,” Putin explained.
Moscow already has several Oreshnik missiles at its disposal and has begun the large-scale production of the advanced weapon system, he added.
Putin reiterated that the first Oreshnik launch last week had been Moscow’s response to Western countries granting permission for Kiev to fire long-range weapons deep inside Russia. This made NATO member states directly involved in the conflict, he continued.
“Oreshnik has no counterparts in the world, of course, and I believe none will appear anytime soon,” he said.
“[The system has] dozens of homing warheads that attack their targets at Mach-10 speed… Their temperature reaches 4,000 degrees,” the president added, noting, “Anything located in the strike center is obliterated into elemental particles, reduced to dust.”
Oreshik can destroy highly fortified targets buried deep underground, Putin said. A massive strike with such missiles would be comparable to a nuclear strike in its force, he stated.
“We have several units ready for use now. Certainly, should the strikes with Western long-range weapons on our territory continue, we will respond, including by launching more combat tests of Oreshnik systems.”
