Rutte called on allies to urgently provide Ukraine with air defence systems: "Oreshnik is weapon of death"
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that Russian Oreshnik missiles pose a serious threat to the civilian population and called on allies to urgently provide Ukraine with air defense systems and interceptor missiles.
This was reported by Censor.NET with reference to EP.
According to Rutte, Russia is using missiles and drones not against military targets, but to intimidate the civilian population of Ukraine.
"These Russian missiles are weapons of death and destruction. We saw this recently when they were used in the Lviv region. I find this appalling," the NATO Secretary General emphasized.
He recalled that during the latest attacks, Russia again used hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles, which struck civilian infrastructure.
"This has nothing to do with combat operations on the front lines. It is being done solely to sow panic and death among the civilian population of Ukraine," Rutte said.
In this regard, the NATO Secretary General called on allied states to urgently provide Ukraine with interceptor missiles.
"Find the necessary interceptor missiles for the Patriot, NASAMS, and SAMP/T systems, because Ukrainians need them immediately," he appealed to parliamentarians.
Oreshnik missile strike on the Lviv region on January 8
- On the evening of January 8, monitoring channels warned of a possible threat of an Oreshnik missile launch against Ukraine. Subsequently, a series of explosions were heard in Lviv.
- Local authorities initially stated that it was not yet known whether it was indeed Oreshnik.
- On January 9, the Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that it had struck Ukraine with an Oreshnik missile in response to an attack on Putin's residence.
- The Ukrainian Air Force confirmed that Russia had used a medium-range ballistic missile against Ukraine.
- President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also confirmed that this refers to the Oreshnik, which can carry nuclear weapons.
- The SSU later released photos of the wreckage of the Oreshnik. They stated that the use of such a missile against Ukraine's civilian infrastructure is a war crime.
