Putin finds justification for Oreshnik missile strike on garages in Ukraine's Bila Tserkva
Photo: Russian President Vladimir Putin (Getty Images)
Russian President Vladimir Putin has given an unexpected explanation for the strike carried out with an Oreshnik ballistic missile on garages in Bila Tserkva in the Kyiv region, according to TASS and Interfax.
Putin claimed that the Oreshnik missile was used to strike a "shed" in Ukraine in order to observe how its warhead blocks fell. According to him, the missile was allegedly launched at a location where it was "convenient to observe the results."
"This applies to Bila Tserkva, and even more so to an area in the DNR (so-called Donets People's Republic - ed.) within the perimeter of the main fortification," he said.
The Kremlin chief claimed that this was allegedly necessary for the future use of the weapon.
"We tested similar systems at proving grounds, but we had not tested the Oreshnik. This was not combat use. In fact, we have not carried out a single full-fledged combat use of the Oreshnik on the territory of Ukraine," Putin said.
On the night of May 24, Russia launched a massive combined attack on Ukraine. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russian forces used 90 missiles and 600 drones of various types, including Oreshnik missiles.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia launched two Oreshnik ballistic missiles that night. One struck in Bila Tserkva, while the other fell in the temporarily occupied part of the Donetsk region.
Notably, Russian propaganda has portrayed the Oreshnik as a weapon with exceptionally high destructive power and the capability to destroy deeply buried targets. However, research findings have cast doubt on such claims.
In addition, Russia may have moved to limited serial production of the Oreshnik, although the number of such missiles in its arsenal is believed to remain small.
