Speaking at the St. Petersburg economic forum, Russian President Putin warned the US and NATO about arming Ukraine, suggesting he might supply long-range missiles to Western adversaries in response.
Speaking on Wednesday at the yearly economic forum in St. Petersburg, Russian President Putin used the occasion to warn the US and NATO about Kiev’s approval of the use of Western weaponry against Russian territory (details below).
He implied that he is considering the possibility of arming Western opponents with Russian long-range missiles. Here’s what he stated:
“That would mark their direct involvement in the war against the Russian Federation, and we reserve the right to act the same way,” Mr Putin told a three-hour meeting with the senior editors of international news agencies.
Because using such Western weapons involves military personnel of those countries controlling the missiles and selecting targets, Mr Putin claimed Moscow could take “asymmetrical” steps elsewhere in the world.
“If they consider it possible to deliver such weapons to the combat zone to launch strikes on our territory and create problems for us, why don’t we have the right to supply weapons of the same type to some regions of the world where they can be used to launch strikes on sensitive facilities of the countries that do it to Russia?” he said.
Then, menacingly, he said, “We will think about it.” But given that it may be involved in a protracted war in Ukraine with its Western allies, it is still evident that Russia has to preserve its arsenal and supply of cutting-edge weapons as much as possible. The proxy war is expected to continue for some time to come, and at this risky juncture, it might very well turn into a full-scale conflict with NATO. Additionally, there was an intriguing instance during a journalist Q&A…
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According to a recent NY Times investigation, Ukraine is already using long-range missiles given by the US to attack Russian territory. It happened just a few days after the Biden administration approved Ukraine’s request to launch US military equipment into Russian territory.
“Yehor Chernev, the deputy chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament’s committee on national security, defense, and intelligence, said on Tuesday that Ukrainian forces had destroyed Russian missile launchers with a strike in the Belgorod region, about 20 miles into Russia,” according to the New York Times.
According to the Ukrainian source, the army made use of a HIMARS, or High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, provided by the US. On the same day as the revelation, a UK Telegraph investigation revealed NATO logistics plans for US soldier ‘land corridors’ in the event of a ground confrontation with Russia in Europe.
Videos and pictures on social media seemed to show S-300 and S-400 systems within Russian territory that were burning and destroyed.
Rob Lee, a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, told the Times after reviewing some of the recently released photos that “I think it is probable this strike was conducted with HIMARS given the range, type of target, munition availability and change in the Biden administration’s policy.”
The study also emphasized additional proof that US weapons were utilized in the attack:
On Saturday, Evgeny Poddubny, a war correspondent for Russian state television, shared photographs of what were presented as fragments of American guided rockets found in Russian territory. It was not possible to independently verify when or where the fragments were found.
Iryna Vereshchuk, the deputy prime minister of Ukraine, also suggested that American weapons were used in the strike.
Vereshchuk shared a picture (above) of a burning S-300 system on Telegram – but soon after deleted – with the caption, “It’s burning well. This is a Russian S-300. On Russian territory. The first days after permission to use Western weapons on the enemy’s territory.”
This Thursday, Sergey Ryabkov, the deputy foreign minister of Russia, issued a warning: “I would like to caution American officials against miscalculations which may have fatal consequences.” For some unknown reason, they underestimate the seriousness of the rebuff they may receive.”
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Russian media reported that more foreign weapons stockpiles within Ukraine had been destroyed, releasing the following statement:
The Russian Ministry of Defense has reported that its forces have successfully hit weapon and equipment storage sites used by the Foreign Legion fighting alongside Ukraine.
“Using operational-tactical aviation, unmanned aerial vehicles, missile troops, and artillery, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation destroyed the weapon and military equipment depots of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ Hortitsa operational-strategic group and the ‘Foreign Legion’ fighters,“ the ministry clarified.
Multiple recordings of Russian anti-aircraft systems destroyed:
Regarding the question of whether Ukraine has yet to utilize US long-range weapons within Russia, the Pentagon has not yet made an official statement, neither confirming nor disputing. But at this point, it’s obvious that things are getting worse—and getting worse rather quickly.
Recently, GreatGameIndia reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a decree on Thursday enabling the government to confiscate American assets in Russia, encompassing real estate and belongings. This is in response to potential US seizures of Russian assets.
