Anyone who supports Ukraine risks a world war

San Francisco. Russia attacks Ukraine with a medium-range missile. Is the war entering a new phase or is the missile a message?

The Kremlin escalated. Russia used a new medium-range missile in the Ukraine war. Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin confirmed their deployment in the evening. It’s a message:

Russia is looking for them Decision;
it can step up militarily;
and the gun with one nuclear warhead equip.

One Show of powerthe second time within a few days. He had just tightened the doctrine for the use of nuclear weapons. The inhibition threshold drops. Anyone who supports Ukraine risks a world war. So much for intimidation.

Reaction with announcement

The time was chosen carefully. It is in response to the US and allies allowing Ukraine to directly attack targets in Russia with short-range missiles and longer-range cruise missiles (300 instead of 165 kilometers).

The Foreign Minister had a corresponding (harsh) reaction Sergey Lavrov announced. Ukraine and its Western allies are seeking escalation. He suggests that Russia is not attacking Ukraine, but is just defending itself against the West.

Destructive power depends on the warhead

The question is whether the demonstration will continue. The fact is: According to Putin, as according to Western knowledge, the missile with the name “Oreshnik” is still in the experimental phase. It is a weapon of which there can naturally only be a few examples. It is also an extremely expensive form of warfare.

For the victims in the Ukrainian city Dnipro it makes no difference how many kilometers a weapon travels; Whether a long-range missile was even fired, as was initially speculated to be a war in Ukraine.

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Hard to defend

As a rough guide: short-range missiles reach a maximum of 800 kilometers, medium-range missiles up to around 2,700 kilometers, long-range missiles up to 5,500 kilometers, and intercontinental ballistic missiles beyond that. One is the technology, the other is the (disarmament) treaties with some others Typifications and ranges.

Vladimir Putin deploys a new medium-range missile.
© AFP | Vyacheslav Prokofiev

For the destructive power is the warhead decisive. In the Ukraine war, far more powerful weapons than are now used in Dnipro have been used, with larger warheads, such as 1.5-ton glide bombs.

Ukraine was warned

The tactical advantage in Ukraine may have been that the Patriot air defense system could be overwhelmed, among other things because of the speed in the final phase and due to the trajectory. The rocket came through.

It is said that the Americans feared the development and Ukraine warned had. Just the day before, she had temporarily closed her embassy in Kyiv as a precaution. They take the threats from Moscow extremely seriously.

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Putin is taking advantage of the power vacuum

After the high losses, both personnel and material, Western experts doubt that Russia is “its existing”. Offensive pace “can be followed”, as the Institute of Study of War analyzes. Even North Korea’s help was interpreted as a sign of weakness. By the same logic, the use of long-range weapons, even in experimental studies, could be classified in a similar way.

Capital Inside by Jörg Quoos, editor-in-chief of the FUNKE central editorial team

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The situation at the front has worsened. The Russian armed forces are estimated to have gained six times as much ground this year as last year. Added to that is political Power vacuum in the West because governments in both the USA and Germany are on call. Before Donald Trump in particular becomes US President, Putin will create facts. With all your might, with all your weapons.