On November 21st, Russia used a new weapon for the first time in its war of aggression against Ukraine: the army of Russian leader Vladimir Putin fired an Oreshnik-type hypersonic missile, which could in principle be equipped with nuclear weapons, on the industrial city of Dnipro. The Kremlin chief has now proposed a “missile defense system” to the US to show that the new ballistic weapon cannot be intercepted by any US missile defense system.
“We are ready for such an experiment,” Putin said in his combined annual press conference and public consultation in Moscow, broadcast on state television. According to the Reuters agency, he said that both countries agreed on a specific target that would then be protected by US missiles.
There is no chance of shooting down these missiles.
Vladimir PutinRussian President, about the Oreshnik hypersonic weapon
If the West doubts the effectiveness of the missile, it could happily name a target in Kiev that is protected by all available anti-aircraft weapons and which Oreshnik should fire at, the dpa agency quoted the ruler as saying. “There is no chance of shooting down these missiles.” Putin was responding to a question from the Russian army broadcaster Zvezda, which had cited an alleged assessment by Western experts that Oreshnik was easy to combat in the initial stages.
Damage in the attack on Dnipro was minor. The projectile did not carry nuclear warheads. However, Putin confirmed on Thursday that Russia was prepared to use nuclear weapons in an emergency. The new doctrine makes it possible to respond to an attack by non-nuclear countries supported by nuclear powers with a nuclear strike if Russia's sovereignty is threatened. The nuclear security guarantees also apply to neighboring Belarus.
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The situation in the war is currently changing significantly, Putin said, according to reports. Russia is in the process of achieving its priority goals.
More than four months after the start of the Russian offensive in the Kursk region of Russia, Putin was also exposed to unpleasant questions from the dpa agency. A resident of the region asked when people could finally return home and everything would be rebuilt.
Putin expressed confidence that Moscow's army would regain control of the Kursk border region. “We will absolutely kick them out,” he said. “Unfortunately, he cannot answer when this will happen at the moment,” he told the AFP agency. After the region is liberated, the full damage will be recorded, Putin said. “Everything will be rebuilt.” Roads and infrastructure will be repaired. He asked for patience from people in the region who have lost their homes and are staying in emergency shelters.
In August, Ukraine launched a surprise military offensive in the Russian border region of Kursk and occupied around a thousand square meters of land. However, the offensive soon stalled and Russia was now able to recapture large parts of its territory.
The televised event took place against the backdrop of Russia's successes in Ukraine and a month before US President-elect Donald Trump takes office. Putin, who has been in power since 2000, had held his big meeting with the press every year since 2001 – the only break being between 2008 and 2012, when he was prime minister. The press conference was also canceled in 2022.
Despite the West's massive sanctions because of the war against Ukraine, Putin credited the dpa with an overall satisfactory economic balance for the past year – especially in comparison to Western industrialized nations. He predicts that the gross domestic product (GDP) will grow by 3.9 percent in 2024, “maybe even four percent.”
In the past two years, GDP has even increased by eight percent. In the same period, Germany showed zero percent growth, he said
Putin admitted that there are problems in combating inflation. According to him, prices rose by 9.2 to 9.3 percent over the course of the year. In the case of food, for example, this is due to the fact that consumption has increased.
According to the report, economists warn of a significant drop in growth rates in the coming year. In addition to high inflation, the Russian economy is also experiencing problems due to the very high key interest rate, which stands at 21 percent.
