Russian Ambassador in London Claims Oreshnik Missile Demonstration Helped Rein In British Hostility

<p >Russian Ambassador to the United Kingdom Andrey Kelin has claimed that the <a href=" target="_blank">deployment</a> of the Oreshnik hypersonic intermediate range ballistic missile against Ukrainian targets in November has had a significant impact on British policy toward Moscow, and had forced London to take a more cautious approach towards launching deep strikes against Russian targets. "Not that they [London's representatives] were scared, but overall they realised that a completely new factor had appeared on the scene – that's the first thing. The second is that we have retaliated for the use of Storm Shadow [long range cruise missiles] deep inside Russian territory. That's obvious as well. There is a sense that they are being a little more cautious, a little more balanced in their approach to this issue. And, in fact, they are now closely following what is happening," he stated. “In the expert community there was undoubtedly a serious study of the abilities, capabilities of the Oreshnik missile, its deployment on the territory of Belarus, from which, let’s say, any point in Europe is reachable," the ambassador added.</p><p ><img src=" title="Launch of British Storm Shadow Cruise Missile By Ukrainian Su-24 Fighter Against Russian Targets"></p><p >Russia has retained the ability to strike the United Kingdom since the late 1940s, but under the terms of the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty it was from the late 1980s prohibited from fielding medium or intermediate range surface to surface ballistic or cruise missiles with medium or intermediate ranges. The United States’ withdrawal from the treaty in 2019, however, paved the way for Russia to resume development of intermediate range ballistic missiles capable of launching both strategic and tactical strikes against British targets using both nuclear and conventional warheads. The United Kingdom has been among several European states which have <a href=" target="_blank">played a leading role</a> in <a href=" target="_blank">lobbying</a> the United States to allow for escalation of<a href=" target="_blank"> joint strikes</a> from Ukrainian territory into Russia, including using British-supplied Storm Shadow cruise missiles. These limited strikes fall well below the threshold for Russia to respond using its intercontinental range nuclear deterrent. The Oreshnik, however, provides a means of launching proportional strikes against targets in Britain and other European states that are involved in Ukraine’s attacks. Although Russian air and sea launched cruise missiles such as the Kh-101 and the 3M14K Kalibr, the Oreshnik is <a href=" target="_blank">considered</a> near impossible to intercept. </p><p ><img src=" title="Georgian legion (left) and Forward Observations Group Western Fighters in Ukraine"></p><p >The United Kingdom has taken a leading role among NATO members in supporting the Ukrainian war effort against Russia, with British Deputy Chief of Defence Staff Royal Marines Lieutenant General Robert Magowan having on December 13, 2022 <a href=" that hundreds of Royal Marines had been carrying out high risk operations alongside Ukrainian government forces from April. Magowan stressed that these were carried out “in a hugely sensitive environment and with a high level of political and military risk.” His statement followed months of reports from a wide range Russian sources that Royal Marines were operational and playing a significant role in the theatre, although these were previously widely dismissed in Western media reporting. This was subsequently further <a href=" leaked Pentagon documents. </p><p >A year later in December 2023 Polish journalist Zbigniew Parafianowicz <a href=" that Polish officials had provided him with details on the operations of British forces, with one informing him: “It was a time when the Russians were still standing in Bucha, and the route was a grey zone. It was possible to run into Russians. We passed the last checkpoint. The Ukrainians told us that we continue at our own risk… Well, and who did we meet next? Ukrainian soldiers and … British special forces. Uniformed. With weapons.” British forces were also driving around the countryside with artillery tracking radars to study the course of the conflict and Russian forces’ operations. </p><p >Subsequently in February 2024 German Chancellor Olaf Scholtz confirmed that British special forces in Ukraine were providing vital support to facilitating launches of Storm Shadow cruise missiles against Russian targets. Subsequently in May, the head of the U.S. Special Operations Command General Bryan Fenton <a href=" >revealed</a> that the Pentagon had been learning about the ongoing war “mostly through the eyes of our UK special operations partners,” who he stated had been testing new approaches to modern warfare in the theatre. Providing an example, he noted that British special operations units were observing and advising on the use of drones and “the way a ship in the Black Sea navigates.” </p>