Moscow warns of repercussions over impact on missile detection network
Moscow has cautioned the US about potential retaliation over rumored Ukrainian assaults on Russia's early missile detection systems. According to Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, the response may be unconventional.
Ryabkov expressed concern over the Ukrainian government's attempts to hinder Russia's military operations, stating they're not a first-time occurrence. He charged the US with "maximally irresponsible" behavior for not stopping these incidents.
In late May, photographs of a damaged radar facility in Armavir, southern Russia emerge in Russian and Ukrainian Telegram channels. The damage might've resulted from a Ukrainian drone assault. Additionally, there were reports about an attack on another significant radar station in Orenburg, south of the Ural Mountains. These stations are built to identify rocket launches spanning thousands of kilometers. Their malfunction could complicate Russia's ability to identify incoming intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Western military analysts are reluctant to believe Ukraine gains any direct military advantage from disabling such radar facilities. Austrian Colonel Markus Reisner, writing on the Austrian Armed Forces' website, comments these stations aren't designed for short-range detection. Although Russia has other methods to detect ATACMS short-range missiles, which America has supplied to Ukraine, Reisner didn't dismiss the possibility that the Armavir attack served as a warning signal from the US, advising Moscow not to overstep in its nuclear threats.
Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov insists that Russia is conscientious and prudent in nuclear balance matters. Hence, it's inappropriate to predict how Moscow will react. However, he recalls President Vladimir Putin's comment in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, where he threatened European countries with "serious consequences" if Ukraine deploys its Western precision weapons against Russian land.
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- The damage to the radar facility in Armavir and the reported attack on another station in Orenburg have raised concerns in Moscow about the consequences of these incidents on their missile early warning system, which is vital for identifying incoming intercontinental ballistic missiles.
- The accusation from Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov that the US is being "maximally irresponsible" by not preventing the Ukrainian government's attempts to hinder Russia's military operations adds a political dimension to the situation, further complicating relations between Moscow and Washington.
- In response to the alleged Ukrainian assaults on its missile early warning systems, Moscow has warned the US of potential retaliation, indicating that the consequences could extend beyond the damage to the radar facilities and impact the broader geopolitical landscape.
