U.S. drags Russia into arms race - expert on Putin's Oreshnik plans

He said this on Espreso TV.

"Putin's previous statements about Russia ramping up production of Oreshnik were followed by his claim of mass production plans. However, it's important to note that right after these statements, the U.S. reported successfully intercepting a medium-range ballistic missile near Guam with its missile defense systems," said Sniehyriov.

The military expert reminded that the Oreshnik is an experimental medium-range ballistic missile, and the U.S. made it clear to Russia that they can effectively counter it.

"The cost of one Oreshnik, according to various estimates, ranges from 50 to 100 million dollars. So, the U.S. is effectively pulling Russia into an arms race. And we remember how the arms race ended for the Soviet Union - in collapse. In other words, the U.S. is effectively creating the conditions for Russia's economic collapse," emphasized Sniehyriov.

• Russian leader Vladimir Putin said that on November 21, Russia tested a medium-range ballistic missile Oreshnik during an attack on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro. He added that Moscow would ‘respond to the escalation’.
• President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia had taken the second step towards escalation with the use of a new ballistic missile, calling the first the involvement of the DPRK military.
• The Security Service of Ukraine presented unique evidence of another Russian aggression by showing the world media the wreckage of the Oreshnik ballistic missile fired by Russia at Dnipro
• On November 28, Russian leader Vladimir Putin said that decision-making centers in Kyiv could be targeted by a new Oreshnik missile, which Russia used to attack Dnipro on November 21.
• On December 6, Putin suggested that the Oreshnik could be deployed in Belarus.
• On December 10, Russian leader Vladimir Putin announced that Russia would not be improving its nuclear doctrine, but the Oreshnik system.
• On December 11, the Pentagon warned that in the coming days, the Russians could use the Oreshnik ballistic missile again to attack Ukraine.