**Russian President Putin Challenges West with “High-Tech Duel”**
Russian President Vladimir Putin made a provocative suggestion on December 19. He proposed a test to see if Western air defenses can stop his country’s new missile, the Oreshnik.
Putin said that Russia could launch an Oreshnik missile at a site in Kyiv and see how well the West’s air defense systems work. He claimed that the Oreshnik is too powerful for the West’s defenses to stop.
This is not the first time Russia has used the Oreshnik. On November 21, it launched one against the city of Dnipro in Ukraine. Putin said this was a response to the US and UK allowing Ukraine to launch long-range strikes inside Russia.
**Ukraine Denies Russia’s Claims**
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected Putin’s claims about the Oreshnik. He said that there are air defense systems that can stop the missile.
The US has a system called THAAD, which is designed to intercept intermediate-range ballistic missiles like the Oreshnik. However, this system has not been tested against the Oreshnik because it hasn’t been supplied to Ukraine yet.
**Putin Mocks Western Air Defenses**
At his press conference, Putin said that the US air defense systems are “costly and ineffective”. He saw no problem if Washington supplies THAAD to Ukraine.
Experts disputed Putin’s claim that the Oreshnik is a completely new weapon. They said it is based on an existing system called RS-26 Rubezh.
**Russia’s Plans for Mass Production**
Putin threatened to strike Kyiv’s “decision-making centers” with the Oreshnik and said Russia would start mass-producing the missile. However, Russian officials told The Moscow Times that this might not happen because of technological shortcomings.
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