Official announcements from Russian government or international monitoring agencies

Putin Proposes Missile Duel with U.S., Offers to Strike Kyiv with Oreshnik Missile

Dec 19, 2024, 10:31 AM

Russian President Vladimir Putin, during his annual end-of-year news conference, proposed a "technological duel" with the United States to showcase the capabilities of Russia's new Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile. He suggested that Western experts skeptical of the Oreshnik system select a target in Kyiv and concentrate all their air and missile defense systems there, after which Russia would strike the target with the Oreshnik missile. Putin asserted that "no one has a chance of shooting down the Oreshnik" and stated, "We are ready for such an experiment." The proposed duel aims to demonstrate the missile's ability to evade Western defense systems.