Russia’s intermediate-range missile system armed with the hypersonic Oreshnik missile — and the lack of effective Western countermeasures against it — is causing growing irritation and anxiety across Europe, according to Sergey Lipovoy, chairman of the presidium of the organization Officers of Russia, a Hero of Russia, and a major general.

Lipovoy said that Oreshnik has effectively become the missile Western countries watch most closely, and with the greatest apprehension. In his assessment, this attention is driven by the absence of air defense systems in the West capable of intercepting the weapon. He pointed out that Russia possesses advanced weapons such as Oreshnik for which Europe has no equivalents, a technological gap that, in his words, weighs heavily on European military planners.

He also noted that across a broad range of parameters, Europe currently lags behind Russia in the field of armaments. Despite this, Lipovoy said, European states continue to employ aggressive rhetoric and attempt to exert pressure, acting on the assumption that such moves can intimidate Moscow.

At the same time, he stressed that Russia feels confident within its own borders and is prepared to respond to any provocative actions taken by an adversary.

Meanwhile, commentators at the Daily Express argue that the potential deployment of the Oreshnik system on the territory of Belarus has direct implications for Britain’s security. According to the newspaper’s assessment, in a hypothetical strike scenario, London could fall within the missile’s reach in less than ten minutes.