#Russia fires ICBM

[poliphoon]

The first sign of a nuclear war

Conventional wars are so different from a nuclear war. It is rare to see nuclear-payload-carrying weapons in them. Yet, if these weapons are used, they carry the message that a nuclear war could be on the devilish mind of the aggressor. Ukraine became the recipient of such message on November 21st as Russia fired ominously an intercontinental ballistic missile, aka ICBM, at the Ukrainian city of…

[mightyflamethrower]

Russia Did Not Fire an ICBM Today, They Fired Something Much Worse – A Message

November 21, 2024 | Sundance | 424 Comments

Despite the diminutive Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy jumping around and shouting about Russians firing an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) today, they didn’t.  Instead, Russian President Vladimir Putin decided his response to the U.S-led NATO group firing missiles into the Russian Federation would be to send a message with a multi-warhead intermediate range hypersonic missile. {Background Message Context}

President Vladimir Putin said, “one of the newest Russian medium-range missile systems was tested in combat conditions, in this case with a ballistic missile in non-nuclear hypersonic edition.”  The missile has a range of approximately 3,500 kilometers, below the threshold for the ��Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT), that’s a reach throughout western Europe and the hypersonic message is likely, ‘you have no iron dome system that can prevent this.”

[starseedpatriot]

So far, almost nobody in the west fully comprehends the Oreshnik weapon system just demonstrated by Russia. Hat tip to Ted Postol, Scott Ritter and Brian Berletic, the only 3 people I've found so far who fully understand this. I've done the math on the kinetic energy of the submunitions (using estimates for mass), and I've studied up on what's publicly known about these weapons so far. My conclusion? NATO is done. The west has no idea what just hit them. Russia's Oreshnik weapon system is checkmate for NATO and the USA. All U.S. aircraft carriers can be destroyed in minutes. All U.S. military bases, all underground bunkers, all ICBM launch sites, naval shipyards, etc., can be destroyed with NON-NUCLEAR kinetic energy via the Oreshnik. There are no active treaties (that I'm aware of) prohibiting this weapon system, and it doesn't destroy surrounding infrastructure or masses of civilians. It is a devastating, unstoppable surgical strike weapon that basically drops metal lightning out of the sky like Thor's Hammer or the comets of God. Nobody has any defense against it, and the range of these weapons, once mounted on intercontinental boosters, is global. The west must now either back off or go nuclear. They will probably choose to go nuclear out of desperation, be warned. Russia has just changed the course of warfare and achieved global dominance. NOBODY in the western press even has a clue. They are too stupid, too woke or too arrogant to realize what just happened. This is like playing chess with Putin and thinkin you might be competitive, then suddenly Putin's queen unleashes a flamethrower across the chess board and roasts all your pieces, setting them on fire. You thought you were playing "chess" but Putin was playing a different game called "flamethrower." It's that big of a deal.

[dertaglichedan]

Moscow threatens to attack POLAND: Kremlin warns it can strike US base using 'advanced weapons' as NATO scrambles jets and Putin unleashes 'ICBM' in Ukraine for first time after Storm Shadow strike

Russia this morning threatened to strike US air bases in Poland with 'advanced weapons' hours after it reportedly launched an advanced missile as part of a brutal barrage of targets across Ukraine.

Moscow said the opening of a new US ballistic missile defence base in Redzikowo near the Baltic coast will 'increase the overall level of nuclear danger', adding it had been added to a list of possible targets for Russia.

The facility, opened on November 13, forms part of a broader NATO missile shield called 'Aegis Ashore' designed to intercept short- and intermediate-range ballistic weapons.

'This is another frankly provocative step in a series of deeply destabilising actions by the Americans and their allies,' Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said of the airbase's unveiling.

'(The base) has been added to the list of priority targets for potential destruction which, if necessary, can be executed with a wide range of advanced weapons,' she concluded. 

Her statement came minutes after Ukraine's air force reported that a suspected ICBM had been fired from a base in Russia's southern Astrakhan region on the Caspian Sea early this morning. 

Russian authorities have not yet confirmed the launch, but if true it would be the first time such a powerful missile has been deployed in the war.

Some analysts expressed incredulity over reports of a fully-fledged ICBM being deployed, arguing that the reported range of the strike - roughly 700km or 454 miles - fell short of what would typically be expected of an intercontinental missile. 

[darkmaga-returns]

COL. Douglas Macgregor : Netanyahu Arrest Warrant !!! - PLUS - Russia fires ICBM into #Ukraine !!!

Judge Napolitano - Judging Freedom

[ricisidro]

Russia just launched a missile attack in the eastern city of Dnipro, Ukraine, after Ukraine fired long-range US and UK - supplied missiles inside Russia. This is the latest escalation of the 1,000-day-old Russia-Ukraine conflict. A US official said it was a ballistic missile. Zelensky claimed that it was a non-nuclear ICBM missile. Russia refused to confirm or deny the kind of missile used. If it was an ICBM, it would be the first recorded use of an extremely powerful and quick long-range weapon in a war.

[originalleftist]

Russia just fired an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile at Ukraine for the first time.

This is an exceedingly dangerous escalation, as while this attack was evidently non-nuclear, ICBMs can carry nuclear weapons.

[usafphantom2]

IMAGES: USAF and RoKAF perform joint exercise after launch of ICBM from North Korea

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 20/02/2023 - 12:00 in Military, War Zones

The United States and the Republic of Korea held a combined air training event when the B-1 Lancers of the U.S. Air Force were relocated to the Korean Peninsula on February 19, 2023.

In this combined air training from South Korea with the U.S., the South Korean F-35s and U.S. Air Force F-16 escorted the U.S. bombers when they entered the Korean Air Defense Identification Zone and carried out a combined flight in a formation over the Korean Peninsula.

The South Korean General Staff announced that USAF B-1B Lancer and F-16 bombers participated in the exercise, as well as F-16, F-35A and F-15K warplanes of the Republic of Korea Air Force (RoKAF).

The training offered the alliance an opportunity to rehearse last-minute return missions. It also demonstrated the combined US-ROK defense capacity and the unwavering commitment to provide extended deterrence in the defense of the Korean Peninsula.

The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command maintains a fast and resilient response capacity in the Indo-Pacific theater, maintaining the ability to respond quickly to any regional threat in support of our allies and to defend the U.S. homeland.

Joint aerial exercises on Sunday occur as an apparent response to North Korea's firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). The exercise demonstrated the "overwhelming" defense capabilities of the allies and the posture of readiness.

Japan and South Korea reported that North Korea conducted an ICBM test on the Sea of Japan on Saturday.

The ballistic missile, which remained in the air for 66 minutes, traveled 900 kilometers (559 miles) with a maximum altitude of 5,700 kilometers (3,541 miles) before landing at sea on the west coast of Japan.

North Korea released a statement on Sunday through the state news agency KCNA saying it fired the ICBM as a warning to the U.S. and South Korea, noting that it successfully demonstrated its ability to launch a "fatal nuclear counterattack".

The U.S. said it "strongly" condemns the ICBM test.

Tags: Military AviationROKAF - Republic of Korea Air Force/South Korean Air ForceUSAF - United States Air Force / US Air ForceWar Zones - Korean Peninsula

Fernando Valduga

Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, he participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Dayton Airshow and FIDAE. He has works published in specialized aviation magazines in Brazil and abroad. He uses Canon equipment during his photographic work in the world of aviation.

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[peakwealth]

The Year 2024 (2)

"Nobody could have thought that in the 21st century, Russia would have this relationship with human life."

Borys Filatov, mayor of the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, besieged by the Russian army. (The Guardian, Aug 5, 2024)

***

FULFILMENT

Remember how drones were going to bring us parcels straight from Amazon's "fulfilment centers"? Half an hour after clicking PAY NOW the airborne goodies would be hovering in front of your door. It hasn't happened. Instead, the drones we hear about are the weapons of choice in the war against Ukraine. On bad days, they come in ´swarms' and the only fulfilment they bring is death.

The cost of war is stupefying, in Ukraine as elsewhere, especially the defense against aerial attack (from rockets, drones, cruise missiles, hypersonic ICBMs...). Military drones costs as little as USD 50,000, some of them reportedly made of wood and assembled like IKEA furniture. But an American made Patriot missile used to intercept them costs USD four million each. (1). When Iran launched a one-day attack on Israel in April, with hundreds of missiles and drones fired across the border, it was described as ´symbolic' because virtually every piece was shot out fo the sky. Israel sustained little damage. But it didn't come cheap. The defense was estimated to have cost more than a billion USD. In one day. Is it war or is it business?

The wars became so normalized in 2024 there were times they faded from the headlines. (Except the war in Sudan which almost never made the news.) In Ukraine, an estimated thousand young men were being wasted a day, just on the Russian side of the front. Both sides were reported to be looking for men as old as sixty to enlist and send to their deaths. The numbers were impossible to verify, but the mere idea of the war spilling over into a NATO member country would wipe the smile off any European politician's face. How many European countries would be willing or able to mobilize their ageing populations and waste hundreds of thousands of lives in an absurd reenactment of World War One? Such a scenario was beyond contemplation yet the warning was issued: prepare for a Russian attack.

But as long as there were no pictures of the dead, few people in Europe seemed to worry too much. No visuals, no story. 

Vladimir Putin was increasingly confident he could defeat Ukraine and its hesitant backers in the West by outgunning and, if need be, bleeding them to death. Morality or any consideration for the suffering inflicted on all sides did not seem to trouble the Russian despot.

Having put Russia's economy on a war footing, he appeared ready to throw away any number of Russian lives. With the blessing of the Russian Orthodox church and the opportunistic backing of China, Iran and all the countries who wrung their hands or saw a measure of historical comeuppance in a proxy war against the West, Putin was sitting pretty - the sudden regime change in Syria excepted.

He received a token of appreciation from Pyongyang: tens of thousands of clueless North Korean soldiers to be thrown into the meat grinder.

Conflict resolution and peaceful coexistence are going out of fashion. More states condone violence or actively aim for military ´solutions' - they do not mind armed conflict. Israel's war against the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank was a perfect, horrific example. No one was safe in Gaza, not civilians, not doctors, not journalists, not ambulance drivers, not refugee aid workers. Criticism was not welcome. The ´hardline' government in Jerusalem went as far as declaring the secretary general of the UN, the well-meaning António Guterres, persona non grata.

Meanwhile, halfway round the globe, Taiwan sits there, like the other shoe waiting to drop at any time.

With Donald Trump and his cast of cronies about to take control in Washington, a brave new world of impunity and disregard for human life is rising. Things have rarely looked so iffy during the first quarter of this broken century.

-----------------------------

(1) Not all intercepts use Patriot missile batteries. Israel's "Iron Dome" defense system works out much cheaper.

[zogdon]

Putin explains why first use of Oreshnik was ordered

Putin explains why first use of Oreshnik was ordered https://www.rt.com/russia/609759-putin-oreshnik-details-revealed/

The Russian Federation force's Oreshnik missile attack on Zelensky's largest military factory in Dnepr.. just recently.. shocked all of the Russian opponents...as it rained fire and brimstone, recorded by many cameras.

The Oreshnik's ten warheads, rained just ordinary TNT, but just enough to take out the facility...coming down as Christmas tree decorations...But most importantly it proved that no amount of the top western airdefences (which were guarding NATO's largest, most important military facility in Zelensky's territory) can bring down the hypersonic Oreshnik missile...the very latest high tech weapon, designed by the Russian Space Military industrial complex. It's certainly 40 years ahead of any western attack missile, and all the latest western high tech airdefence systems.

Number of hard heads, of the infamous Russo haters, jealously stated that modern western airdefences can easily deal with the Oreshnik. But...well...well... All these overrated western airdefences failed dramatically in the one and only so far, Oreshnik attack. The western radars couldn't even detect the Oreshnik attack, as this Hypersonic missile left Earth's orbit...and then when over the assigned target, it's conventionally armed war head, split into 10 smaller tnt armed war heads...and rained complete destruction of the assigned target.

Bare in mind that the Oreshnik is a medium range attack missile, capable to cary any medium sized war head...being it possibly, nuclear or conventional. This first real life, war test of the Oreshnik, was of course just loaded with a small charge of tnt. But it could easily be armed by some of the most powerful nuclear war heads, that the Russians have. The Russians have perfected the minimisation of the nuclear war heads, for all their nuclear capable missiles... from close, medium ranges, to the most powerful Nuclear ICBMs, that can cross the equator twice.

One of these Russian ICBMs can take out 28% of mainland USA...and reach Washington from the Moscow region, in just 7 minutes...not enough time to dress up in the morning. It can also, travel from Siberia down through Antarctica, and then up into any US mainland target. That Russian nuclear capability, really scares the Pentagon...as that Antarctica pathway has no US airdefences in place...and it's virtually impossible to pur in place, in effective way, for at least 50 years.

Of course the Oreshnik is just one of many very capable Russian missiles. If ww3 breaks out...the west won't even have enough time, to see, detect, just how much further ahead the Russian high tech space and military industrial complex is, from the western opposition.

[bremont]

(via (186) Douglas Macgregor: Russia Fires First ICBM in Combat for the first time in history - YouTube)

Douglas Macgregor: Russia Fires First ICBM in Combat for the first time in history

[mightyflamethrower]

Where are all those liberals with the Doomsday Clock and anti war sentiment. If 911 taught us nothing else it taught us that ANYTHING can happen. Heaven help us all.

Russia has allegedly launched an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) at a Ukrainian city for the first time, an expensive but potentially potent reminder by the Kremlin that it has a large reserve of nuclear-capable weapons which can strike form thousands of miles away.

The central-Ukrainian city of Dnipro was struck by a single ICBM missile in the early hours of Thursday morning Ukraine claims, part of a broader air raid that state media said also saw one air-launched ballistic missile and seven air-launched cruise missiles fired at the city. The Ukrainian government has not made an official statement on casualties in the “massive attack” but said they managed to shoot down six of the cruise missiles in-flight.

The launch of an ICBM is claimed by Ukraine’s air force to have come from the Astrakhan Oblast, which borders the Caspian Sea. The launch has not been corroborated by Western states observing the conflict, the United Kingdom has called it unconfirmed, for instance. Russia has yet to confirm or deny an conventional explosive armed but nuclear-capable ICBM launch, apparently the latest sabre-rattling move by the state as it bids to discourage further Western involvement in Ukraine.

While claiming there was “no significant damage” caused, nevertheless Ukraine also stated a city medical facility and an industrial area were hit. Sergiy Lysak, the head of the regional administration said in a statement that: “Since early morning, the aggressor has massively attacked the region. Information about the consequences is being clarified. At the moment, it is known about damage to an industrial enterprise in Dnipro. There were also two fires in the city.”

Ukraine called the attack an attempt to damage the city’s “critical infrastructure” . Meanwhile, just 70 miles away a power interconnector for the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant was cut in an air strike. This left the plant with just one backup power supply.

A loss of external power can be catastrophic for a nuclear plant because the control systems that govern the reaction process — and which can crash-stop it in an emergency — cannot safely rely on the power the plant itself produces and need redundancy. The Zaporizhzhia plant has been occupied by Russian forces for several years and is presently run by Russian nuclear company Rosatom, one of the few Russian businesses that has been untouched by Western sanctions as Russia is a massive global player in the supply of Uranium, needed by nuclear power plants everywhere.

ussia has stated that it considers precision attacks against military or political targets inside the Russian Federation an act of war by the states providing the weapons, even if they are launched by a third party. How far Russia is willing to take this nuclear sabre-rattling is unclear: at several points through this conflict the Kremlin has expressed its displeasure at Western nations involving themselves in what it clearly considers a private war but never followed through with threats on issues like the supply of tanks, earlier missiles, and jet fighters.

Yet long-range missile strikes inside Russia may be taken a lot more seriously inside the Kremlin. Talks about the policy of whether to give Ukraine permission to engage in such attacks against their invader have gone back months, and key moments have been met with Russian reminders that they ultimately hold a trump card against attempts to bring down the Putin state.

When Zelensky was in Washington in September to ask for long-range strikes, Russia appeared to respond by saying it was reviving its nuclear doctrine to create a state of co-responsibility for attacks by American-backed states. In October Russia issued what very much looked like a reminder of what it holds in reserve and had never yet deployed in anger, a considerable armoury of Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles, conducting continent-spanning test-firings.

A land-launch of a Yars ICBM from Plesetsk to Archangesk (pictured, top) demonstrated a range of 3,500 miles, with Russia publishing quantities of footage showing the launch of several nuclear-capable missiles. The Yars is Russia’s newest ICBM, part of the development of their first such new weapon since the end of the Cold War, with the 3,500 mile flight only around half of its claimed maximum range, designed to strike deep into the United States if required.

Then earlier this week, as the U.S. was stated to have signed off on strikes on the Russian interior with American-made missiles in Ukrainian hands, Vladimir Putin signed off on that new nuclear doctrine, a further message to the West.

While today’s alleged launch and strike serves a warfare rather than training purpose, the use of an ICBM to deliver a conventional warhead rather than a considerably cheaper and less sophisticated tactical ballistic or cruise missile is a pointed further message from Russia to the West.

Poland, one of the European states closest to the fighting and perhaps taking the most alarmist state about Russian territorial ambitions — it is practically a matter of faith in Polish defence circles that Moscow has designs on Poland, should it succeed in Ukraine — appears to have reacted to the Thursday morning launch, scrambling fighters and and land-based defence systems.

A statement from the Polish Air Force, which operates F-16 jets, said Thursday: “Attention, due to another attack by the Russian Federation, which is carrying out strikes on objects located, among others, in western Ukraine, Polish and allied aircraft have begun operating in our airspace… the Operational Commander of the RSZ activated all available forces and resources at his disposal, the on-duty fighter pairs were scrambled, and the ground-based air defence and radar reconnaissance systems reached the highest state of readiness.”

How ironic it would be for America to be destroyed fighting for some 3rd World Shidt Hole that up until 10 minutes ago was famous only for its lack of real democracy and corruption.

[usa-journal]

Putin Announces Deployment of New Hypersonic Missile Amid Escalating Tensions

Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced that his country is ready to deploy its new Oreshnik hypersonic missiles, following their recent use in a high-profile strike on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro. In an unscheduled television address, Putin declared the missiles “impossible to intercept” and revealed plans to conduct further tests under "combat conditions."

A New Phase in the Conflict The Oreshnik missile strike, which triggered hours of explosions in Dnipro, marked a significant escalation in the ongoing war. Eyewitnesses described the missile’s impact as unprecedented, likening it to an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Military analysts, including Justin Crump of risk advisory firm Sibylline, suggested the attack was a calculated show of force to challenge Ukraine’s air defense systems.

Putin indicated that the missile’s deployment was in response to Ukraine’s recent use of US-provided ATACMS and UK-supplied Storm Shadow missiles, which were fired into Russian territory for the first time.

Ukraine Calls for International Action Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on global leaders to deliver a "serious response" to deter further Russian aggression. Kyiv has intensified its push for advanced Western air defense systems, including the US THAAD and upgrades to Patriot systems, to counter Russia’s hypersonic arsenal.

Zelensky also criticized what he described as a lack of decisive action from China and other nations calling for restraint, stating that such positions were being exploited by Moscow.

International Reactions and Growing Concerns The escalation has drawn sharp warnings from world leaders about the potential for a broader conflict:

Poland: Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned of a "decisive stage" in the war, with rising risks of a global conflict. Hungary: Prime Minister Viktor Orban urged the West to take Putin’s warnings seriously, emphasizing Russia’s reliance on military power. North Korea: Leader Kim Jong Un accused the US of fostering instability and warned of the heightened risk of nuclear war.

North Korea, which has reportedly sent troops to support Russia, has been accused by Ukraine of engaging in direct clashes in the Kursk region.

US Response and Future Uncertainty US President Joe Biden confirmed that Ukraine has been authorized to use long-range ATACMS missiles within Russian territory as a response to Moscow’s actions. However, the impending inauguration of Donald Trump has added uncertainty to the conflict’s trajectory. Trump has pledged to resolve the war “within hours” but has not provided specific details on his approach.

Zelensky Urges Resilience In his nightly address, Zelensky called on Ukrainians to remain focused and undeterred by Russian threats, urging government officials to avoid disruptions to normal operations unless immediate danger is present. “In war, we work and serve. There is no other way,” he declared.

As both nations seek a decisive advantage, the introduction of Russia's new missile technology underscores the evolving complexity of the conflict, with global implications looming larger than ever.

[dertaglichedan]

Update(1057ET): Ukraine's earlier claim that its territory had been struck by an intercontinental ballistic missile fired by Russia is being hotly disputed, hours after widespread reports first appeared. US officials are saying it appears to be a new intermediate-range ballistic missile and not an ICBM which targeted the central city of Dnipro

The NY Times has reported in follow-up of the attack that "several Western officials said that the weapon was not an ICBM and instead was likely an intermediate-range missile that flies shorter distances."

Zelensky himself had claimed Russia used a new class of missile. "All the parameters — speed, altitude — match those of an intercontinental ballistic missile," he said. "All expert evaluations are underway." But US defense officials are contradicting this:

A senior U.S. official said the weapon appeared to be an intermediate-range ballistic missile, adding, "But it is a new type we have been tracking."

[darkmaga-returns]

We’re in the Second Cold War. Those thinking otherwise have probably been living under a rock. Unfortunately, that rock won’t save anyone and we know it by the change in rhetoric. Namely, in previous decades, nuclear war was a mere hypothesis in the minds of most people, an extremely unlikely prospect that we could casually discuss, theorize on, contemplate as to how it would play out, etc. It truly is meticulous work, involving an enormous amount of moving parts and it could even be argued it’s fun, as evidenced by numerous mass media that use it as their main trope. Whether it’s a post-apocalyptic scenario, a modern war that got out of control or something along those lines, it’s quite prominent in movies, TV shows, video games, etc. Now, imagine fan favorites such as the Mad Max franchise, Fallout or Metro series, certain Call of Duty titles, etc. suddenly becoming a reality. It’s certainly a scary thought.

Well, thanks to the warmongering oligarchies in Washington DC and Brussels, this is exactly the scenario we’re facing. And if you think it’s too far-fetched or even impossible, think again. Leaders and top-ranking officials of the most powerful NATO countries openly support long-range strikes on Russia using Western-sourced missiles, operated by American, British and other NATO personnel. This comes despite President Vladimir Putin’s crystal clear warning that Russia would consider the world’s most vile racketeering cartel a party to the conflict and that it would respond accordingly. Worse yet, even after Moscow used a conventionally armed ICBM/IRBM in response to these NATO attacks, the political West only keeps escalating. The purpose of this text is to understand what’s at stake and that if the warmongers, war criminals, plutocrats and kleptocrats have their way, the world will pay the ultimate price.

Let’s imagine that Russia decides it’s sick and tired of over three decades of NATO’s lies, deceit, crawling invasion and now nearly three years of direct attacks and total war. The Neo-Nazi junta keeps launching these Western-sourced missiles and the Kremlin knows who’s behind it. Do you think Russia would use thermonuclear weapons in Ukraine, a land that has belonged to it for over 1,200 years, against the people it considers ethnic Russians (even though they reject this notion)? Even if we ignore these basic facts, the answer is no, as it would be suicidal to fire a nuclear weapon at an area so close to home. The fallout could easily reach any Russian and/or Belorussian territory. Thus, it can be expected to see Moscow use more “Oreshniks” and similar missiles. However, Russia’s updated strategic doctrine also allows the use of such weapons against targets beyond NATO-occupied Ukraine.