War in Ukraine: secret services say they have fragments of the Orechnik missile, Trump's team at work… update on the situation

Ukraine says it presents fragments of new Russian missile after strike on Dnipro

The Ukrainian secret service (SBU) on Sunday showed a small group of journalists, including AFP, the fragments of a new Russian ballistic missile, identified Thursday by Russian President Vladimir Putin as “Orechnik”a previously unknown weapon which he said struck an arms factory in Dnipro.

A few hours after this shot presented by the Kremlin as a “signal” to the West and to kyiv, Vladimir Putin boasted of the success of the Russian strike with a new hypersonic missile, which he had named “Orechnik”.

The Russian army fired this experimental missile in “answer”, according to the Kremlin, to recent Ukrainian attacks carried out against Russia with American and British missiles.

On Sunday, the Ukrainian SBU showed a small group of journalists, including AFP, metal debris, more or less large, lined up on a fake grass, coming from a Russian missile fired on Thursday, he said, against the town of Dnipro, where “Orechnik” according to Moscow, struck the factory of the Ukrainian group PivdenMach which produces components for missiles.

The meeting with the SBU took place in a secret location for security reasons.

On this occasion, the Ukrainian SBU did not wish to publicly confirm that it was debris from“Orechnik” but assured that it was “the first time” that Ukrainian forces had seen such a projectile since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022.

“This is the first time that debris from such a missile has been found on Ukrainian territory”said an SBU investigator named Oleg.

“This object has never been documented by security investigators before”he again affirmed, explaining that it was “of a ballistic missile“, which corresponds to “Orechnik”.

The investigator assured that kyiv would give “answers” subsequent information on the precise characteristics of the missile presented.

According to Vladimir Putin, who outlined some characteristics of'”Orechnik”, this hypersonic missile “at intermediate range” can go at the speed of Mach 10, i.e. “i.e. 2.5 to 3 kilometers per second”.

Friday, during a televised meeting with military officials, the Kremlin master assured that Moscow had a reserve of these missiles “ready to use”.

He also ordered its mass production and subsequent use in trials, including “in a combat situation”, after announcing on Thursday that Russia was “ready” has “all” the scenarios in its conflict against Ukraine and the West.

The Trump team already wants to start working on an “arrangement”

Donald Trump's team will begin working with outgoing President Joe Biden's administration to reach a “arrangement” between Ukraine and Russia, expressing concern about “climbing” current situation, said Mike Waltz, the future White House security adviser, on Sunday.

Since the election of Donald Trump on November 5, Europeans have feared a disengagement of the United States from this conflict or even American pressure for an agreement to the detriment of kyiv. The president-elect, who is due to take office on January 20, has formed the bulk of his next government, still subject to Senate approval.

“President Trump has been very clear about the need to end this conflict. What we need to discuss is who will be at the table, whether this is an agreement, a armistice, how to bring the two parties to the table and what will be the framework of an arrangement”, declared on Fox News Mike Waltz, appointed to the ultra-strategic position of national security adviser at the White House.

“This is what we will work on with this administration until January and we will continue after”he assured on the conservatives' favorite channel.

“For our adversaries who think this is an opportunity to play one administration against the other, they are wrong”he affirmed, while insisting on “worry” from the Trump team regarding “climbing” current conflict.

The president-elect's bodyguards strongly denounced Joe Biden's decision to authorize Ukraine to strike Russian territory with American-made long-range missiles.

During his campaign, Donald Trump was very skeptical of the billions that the Biden administration has granted to Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion in 2022. The Republican has repeatedly promised to quickly put end to the war, without specifying how.

On the Middle East, his future national security advisor also pleaded for a “arrangement” Who “truly brings stability.”

With Marco Rubio at the head of diplomacy, Mike Waltz will form a duo described as hawks by observers. Donald Trump presented Mike Waltz, elected official from Florida and former special forces soldier, as a “expert on the threats posed by China, Russia, Iran and global terrorism.”