Russia’s potential deployment of RS-26 Rubezh missile sparks grounded alarm - expert

Defense Express military expert Ivan Kyrychevskyi said this on Espreso TV.

“The question remains open as to whether we have the means to intercept the RS-26 Rubezh missile. If this missile indeed poses a threat to us, we may need to turn to the Americans for more powerful systems than the Patriot, which was designed to intercept short-range ballistic missiles like the Iskander. To counter medium-range missiles, we need systems such as THAAD, which the Americans recently used to shield Israel. Additionally, there are two types of ground-based launchers in the U.S. Armed Forces capable of deploying the naval SM-6 anti-aircraft missile, which, although very expensive, is designed to intercept such missiles," he said.

Kyrychevskyi stated that the RS-26 Rubezh missile is a well-developed Russian project that has successfully passed testing.

"The missile has long been ready for use. The RS-26 Rubezh was ready for deployment as early as 2018, according to Russian assessments. It was even prepared for production under Russia's state armament program for 2018–2025. However, the Kremlin seems to have chosen a different medium-range missile project, known as the Iskander-K. This is a cruise missile capable of flying up to 1,500 kilometers. Its deployment in the Leningrad region would mean that half of Europe would fall under Russia's nuclear threat," the military expert explained.

This summer, the Kremlin announced plans to resume production of short- and medium-range missiles, likely hinting at the revival of RS-26 Rubezh production.

"This missile is a compact intercontinental ballistic missile with a launch range of 2,000 to 6,000 kilometers, according to their design," Kyrychevskyi said.

He noted that the Russians are actively working to bolster their missile arsenal, attempting to return to the dynamics of the Cold War. Therefore, Ukrainians have a lot of work ahead, especially after today.

"A respected international strategic research institute recently published satellite images showing that the Russians are likely returning to Soviet-scale production of solid-fuel rocket engines, which are used in intercontinental ballistic missiles such as the Iskanders, S-300s, S-400s, as well as multiple rocket launchers used by the occupiers to target our troops on the battlefield," he added.

• A number of embassies suspended operations after warnings of a possible major air attack on November 20. The Foreign Affairs Ministry called it a stir.
• Various Telegram channels disseminated information about the possibility of an intercontinental ballistic missile strike on Ukraine.
• Later, the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine reported that Russia had launched PSYOP against Ukraine about the threat of a "particularly massive" strike.