Russia satisfied with having reaffirmed its red lines to the West

The reactions on the Russian side on Friday morning confirmed that the hypersonic ballistic missile fired the day before at the Ukrainian city of Dnipro had indeed hit its target – a communication strategy more than a military objective: we know well in Moscow that the factory Youjmash weapons complex was built during the Soviet era to withstand a nuclear attack. The message, explained the same evening on television by Vladimir Putin, initially resembles a warning to Westerners: « We are ready for all scenarios », « there will always be an answer » ; but it also aims to reassure the Russians about the« invincibility » missiles available to their army, a few days after the Ukrainians fired American ATACMS and British Storm Shadow missiles.

These demonstrations of force come in a relatively narrow strategic window, before Donald Trump is installed in the White House…