Published: Less than 30 min ago
Russia has placed hypersonic missiles in Belarus.
That’s what the British Ministry of Defense claims.
– The reason is that Belarus should be perceived as increasingly involved in the war, according to the Ministry of Defence.
The AS-24 hypersonic missile travels at five times the speed of sound or more. When Vladimir Putin proudly informed the Russian parliament of the weapon’s existence in 2018, he said:
– According to military experts, their strength is extreme, and their speed makes them invulnerable, because anti-aircraft missiles simply cannot catch up with them, Putin said then, according to Tass.
The British Ministry of Defense is so sure it is now in Belarus because of satellite images showing the Russian MiG-31K fighter jet at the Machulishchi military airfield just south of the capital Minsk, with a seven-metre container on the ground next to the plane.
The container likely contains an AS-24 hypersonic missile that is fired into the air from the fighter jet. Such missiles have not been in Belarus before.
According to the British Ministry of Defence Russia likely has a very limited stockpile of the expensive hypersonic missiles.
– Russia continues to use up its advanced long-range munitions against targets of limited military significance, the British Ministry of Defense states in its daily report on November 1.
Lieutenant Colonel Joakim Paasikivi agrees:
– It is a weapon developed to break through American air defenses, but why are they used here? he told Aftonbladet in March after reports that they had begun to be used in Ukraine, seeing it all as a PR stunt.
With a range of 2,000 kilometers, the location in Belarus does not really give the Russian Defense Forces any advantages. The reason for the deployment in Belarus is instead a message to the West, the British Ministry of Defense believes:
– This is mainly a message to the West and that Belarus should be perceived as increasingly involved in the war, writes the Ministry of Defense on Twitter.