Russia Says Oreshnik Missile Strike Warned NATO Against Ukraine Deployment
Russia’s spy chief says the Oreshnik missile strike was viewed in the West as a warning against NATO troop deployments in Ukraine after the conflict ends.
Western countries have interpreted Russia’s use of the Oreshnik ballistic missile system as a clear warning against the post-conflict deployment of NATO military contingents in Ukraine, according to Sergei Naryshkin, director of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service.
In an interview with RIA Novosti, Naryshkin said that after a strike on a military facility in the Lvov Region, Western analysts and military experts concluded they lacked the technical capability to intercept the Oreshnik missile system. He noted that this assessment led them to view the strike as a signal aimed at discouraging the direct involvement of NATO member states’ armed units in combat operations on Ukrainian territory, as well as the stationing of foreign military contingents in areas controlled by Kiev once the conflict ends.
Earlier, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that during the night of January 9, the Russian Armed Forces carried out a strike using the Oreshnik missile system, which disabled the Lvov State Aviation Repair Plant. According to the ministry, the facility serviced Western-supplied F-16 and MiG-29 fighter jets transferred to Ukraine and was also involved in the production of strike drones used in attacks on Russian civilian targets.