Ukraine needs American THAAD systems to counter Oreshnik missile - Austrian colonel

Ukraine requires American THAAD missile defense systems to intercept Russian Oreshnik medium-range ballistic missiles before their warheads separate.

Colonel of the Austrian Armed Forces Markus Reisner, head of the Institute for Officer Training at the Theresian Military Academy, said this in an exclusive comment to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"Putin's press conference [on December 19] primarily contained one thing: a threat to Europe. It was also an attempt to send a message to his own population: we have a new 'wonder weapon' and we will win the war with it. Through this, Putin is challenging the West to a duel: Russia's 'wonder weapon' versus Western missile defense systems," the expert said.

From a military perspective, Reisner emphasized that both the quality and quantity of missile defense systems play a crucial role in determining the outcome of such confrontations.

"In other words, the outcome of this duel depends largely on the number of interceptor missiles compared to the number of attacking missiles. The situation gets more complicated when the attacking missiles are equipped with multiple warheads, as is the case with the medium-range Oreshnik missile. In this case, it is important to intercept the carrier rocket at an early stage, before its warheads separate," Reisner said.

He also highlighted the capabilities of the American Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in addressing this challenge, underlining Ukraine's pressing need for such advanced defenses.

"In this context, it should be noted that Ukraine needs defense systems such as the American Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system. The United States has these systems and has already delivered them to Israel," he said.

According to Reisner, the Russian Oreshnik is "another wake-up call" for Europe, which must be responded to immediately.

"The appearance of the Oreshnik is yet another wake-up call for Europe. Here it is necessary to act quickly and do everything possible to be able to resist such a threat if there is a desire to avoid further blackmail from Russia," the expert said, when asked how to respond to Putin's missile blackmail.

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