“The new Russian missile could hit Brussels in 15 minutes. And there is almost nothing we could do”

“This ‘backdoor diplomacy’ shows that the Russians remain very cautious”

The Kremlin therefore counterattacked, with the latest addition to its artillery. At first glance, this looked like a significant escalation in the Ukrainian conflict, which could provoke a response from the allies. But, as the colonel interviewed by HLN explained, Russia had taken measures to avoid annoying the United States. “The Americans already knew a day before the Russian attack that something was coming and temporarily evacuated their embassy in kyiv,” he detailed. “Half an hour before the missile launch, the Russians even warned the Americans. Moscow thus wanted to avoid all the nuclear alarms going off in Washington. This ‘backdoor diplomacy’ shows that the Russians remain very cautious. ” This situation clearly illustrates, according to the Belgian defense specialist, the extent to which Moscow does not want an escalation with the West. And would therefore not risk hitting a European target.

However, he admitted that the calculations regarding the speed with which the Orechnik could reach our country were correct. “This missile could hit Brussels in around fifteen minutes. This also applies to London or Paris,” he postulated in the columns of HLN, arguing however that the Americans would be informed within the second after the missile was fired. “Then it takes five seconds for America’s powerful computers to determine the type of missile. Two minutes later, they know which direction it is heading. Another minute is enough for them to notify their allies. So if a missile is in route to Brussels, we will know about three minutes after its launch (…) But we could do almost nothing. We do not have any air defense ourselves, and the classic systems of the Germans, French or Americans are not available. not effective against a hypersonic ballistic missile.” However, he clarified that the Orechnik could indeed be intercepted by two types of air defense, which are very expensive used by the Israelis and the Americans. The latter, called the THAAD system, would currently be present on Polish soil, but would only cover a limited area.

“The West fears the fall of Vladimir Putin. It’s shocking”

Vladimir Putin and nuclear weapons

Like Colonel Roger Housen, Tanguy Struye wanted to be reassuring. In an interview with La Libre this Saturday, the professor of International Relations at UCLouvain and associated researcher at the Egmont Institute estimated that we should not fear an attack but that the electrical situation could easily degenerate. “We are in a phase of bluffing, of one-upmanship. We must control it, otherwise we can end up with biased interpretations and an escalation of the conflict. This is why the West must not enter into a reactive posture without know the exact facts,” he warned.

Last week, Moscow also changed its nuclear doctrine. “Among the conditions justifying the use of nuclear weapons is the launch of ballistic missiles against Russia,” according to this decree. And, given the use of British and American missiles by Ukraine to strike Russia, the question arises of a possible use of nuclear weapons by Russia against these two countries. But, for Tanguy Struye, Vladimir Putin is not at all in this logic at the moment. “He knows very well that Trump comes to power on January 20 and that this could change the situation. Perhaps he finally sees an opportunity to get everything he wants: all of Donbass, Crimea… But I do not imply that the use of a tactical weapon should be underestimated and dismissed.”