Statement by the President of the Russian Federation. 11.21.2024
I should like to inform the personnel of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, the citizens of our country, our friends around the world, and those who continue to harbour illusions about the possibility of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia, of the events that are taking place today in the area of the special military operation, namely after the use of Western-made long-range weapons on our territory.
Continuing the course of escalation of the conflict in Ukraine provoked by the West, the United States and its NATO allies have previously announced that they are authorizing the use of their long-range precision-guided weapons systems on the territory of the Russian Federation. Experts are well aware, and the Russian side has repeatedly emphasized this, that it is impossible to use such weapons without the direct involvement of military specialists from the countries that produce such weapons.
On November 19, six U.S.-made ATACMS operational-tactical missiles and on November 21, in the course of a combined missile attack, British-made Storm Shadow and U.S.-made HIMARS systems struck military facilities on the territory of the Russian Federation - in the Bryansk and Kursk regions. From that moment on, as we have repeatedly emphasized on previous occasions, the regional conflict in Ukraine provoked by the West has acquired elements of a global character. Our air defense systems have repelled these attacks. As a result, the objectives that were obviously set by the enemy were not achieved.
A fire at an ammunition depot in the Bryansk region caused by falling ATACMS missile debris has been extinguished, there were no casualties or serious damage. In the Kursk region, an attack was made on one of the command posts of our “North” group. As a result of the attack and the anti-aircraft battle, there are, unfortunately, casualties, dead and wounded from among the personnel of the facility's external security units and maintenance personnel. The command and operational staff of the control center was not injured and is carrying out in a normal mode of management of the actions of our troops to destroy and expel enemy units from the Kursk region.
Once again I would like to emphasize that the use of such weapons by the enemy is not able to affect the course of combat operations in the zone of the special military operation. Our troops are successfully advancing along the entire line of contact. All the tasks we have set for ourselves will be accomplished.
In response to the use of American and British long-range weapons, on November 21 of this year the Russian Armed Forces launched a combined strike against one of the facilities of Ukraine's defense-industrial complex. Under combat conditions, they also tested one of Russia's newest medium-range missile systems - in this case, a ballistic missile with a non-nuclear hypersonic configuration. Our missile engineers named it “Oreshnik.” The tests were successful, and the launch goal was achieved. One of the largest industrial complexes known since the days of the Soviet Union, which still produces missile equipment and other weapons today, was hit in the city of Dnepropetrovsk in Ukraine.
We are developing intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles as a response to United States plans to produce and deploy intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. We believe that the United States made a mistake by unilaterally destroying the Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles in 2019 under far-fetched pretexts. Today, the United States not only produces such equipment, but, as we can see, during the training of its troops, it has practiced the deployment of its advanced missile systems to different regions of the world, including Europe. Moreover, in the course of the exercises, they are conducting drills on their use.
Let me remind you that Russia has voluntarily and unilaterally committed itself not to deploy medium-range and shorter-range missiles as long as American weapons of this kind do not appear in any region of the world.
I repeat: We are conducting live tests of the Oreshnik missile system in response to the aggressive actions of NATO countries against Russia. The question of further deployment of medium- and shorter-range missiles will be decided by us depending on the actions of the United States and its satellites.
We will determine the targets for further tests of our newest missile systems on the basis of threats to the security of the Russian Federation. We consider ourselves entitled to use our weapons against the military facilities of those countries that allow the use of their weapons against our facilities, and in case of escalation of aggressive actions we will respond with the same decisive and mirror-like response. I recommend that the ruling elites of those countries that are hatching plans to use their military contingents against Russia should also seriously consider this.
Of course, when selecting targets for systems such as Oreshnik on Ukrainian territory in case of necessity and as a response, we will proactively invite civilians and also ask citizens of friendly States who are there to leave the danger zones. We will do this for humanitarian reasons - openly, publicly, without fear of opposition from the enemy, who is also receiving this information.
Why without fear? Because there are no means of countering such weapons today. Missiles attack targets at a speed of Mach 10, which is 2.5-3 kilometers per second. The modern air defense systems available in the world and the missile defense systems being created by the Americans in Europe cannot intercept such missiles, it is impossible.
I emphasize once again that it is not Russia, but the United States that has destroyed the system of international security and, continuing to fight and cling to its hegemony, is pushing the entire world towards a global conflict.
We have always preferred and are now ready to resolve all disputes by peaceful means. But we are also ready for any development of events.
If anyone still doubts this, it is in vain - there will always be an response.
