Russia threatens missile strike if Ukraine uses Western weapons
The agreement for Ukrainians to use Western weapons on the territory of the Russian Federation is still a topic of discussion among Kyiv's Western allies. Moscow is taking stringent measures to prevent this, now threatening to use the SS-18 "Satan" missile, which can reach Strasbourg, France, in 3 minutes and 20 seconds, according to Chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Vyacheslav Volodin, as quoted by the Ukrainian agency Unian.
Russia intends to respond sharply by using more potent weapons, Volodin claims, in response to the European Parliament's call for Ukraine to be allowed to use Western weapons to attack targets deep within the Russian Federation. "No one should have any illusions about this," the politician insisted, emphasizing the seriousness of the situation.
Russian politician warns Europe
As the Unian agency also reports, the Russian politician posed two questions to the members of the European Parliament. One concerned whether the decision related to potentially granting permission for strikes was consulted with voters. Volodin also asked whether Europeans want "the war to come to their homes."
"Before making such a decision, lessons from World War II should be recalled. For comparison, the Sarmat missile takes 3 minutes and 20 seconds to reach Strasbourg," Volodin warned.
The RS-28 "Satan," mentioned by Volodin, is a three-stage liquid-fuel missile characterized by a length of 35 metres and a mass of 229,000 kg. It is capable of carrying from 10 heavy to 15 lighter nuclear warheads over a distance of 18,000 km. Its performance allows it to reach speeds of up to 25,000 km/h, which means it travels a staggering 6,500 metres per second. After launch, the missile can operate in the air for several hours and perform maneuvers, making it significantly challenging to shoot down with anti-missile defence systems.
The RS-28 missile's power is so immense that its strike could level areas the size of all of France or the state of Texas in the USA. Russia is the only country possessing this type of weapon.
