The State Duma assessed the West's chances in Putin's proposed "duel"

The West has no chance to win the "duel" with Russia proposed by the country's President Vladimir Putin. This was stated by State Duma deputy Andrei Krasov on Thursday, December 19.

According to the parliamentarian, no country has systems capable of stopping the Russian missile "Oreshnik".

"The West will not go to this duel because it will lose it. Politicians can say that they have air defense (air defense), missile defense (missile defense) systems capable of stopping the Oreshnik, but it's all good in theory, in practice there are no such systems," Krasov said in a conversation with Lenta.ru.

Krasov recalled that the launchers of the Russian missile are 2,000 kilometers away from the line of contact. At the same time, the Oreshnik is most vulnerable when it only leaves the silo. After that, it is impossible to stop it, he added.

"When the upper stages have worked, the warhead has separated - that's it, look for the wind in the field. No air defense system can cope with such a speed, no matter how much Western countries fill themselves with hope," the parliamentarian concluded.

Strip it down to "Oreshnik": Putin supported the adoption of the missile system into service

At a meeting with the developers, the president called this complex a guarantor of Russia's security

Earlier in the day, Putin said during "Results of the Year" that Russia's medium-range Oreshnik ballistic missiles are a new type of weapon and are based on modern Russian developments, 360.ru reported.

The enemy has no chance to shoot down Oreshnik missiles, Putin pointed out, commenting on the opinion of some foreign experts that Western air defenses can allegedly do so at the launch stage, according to the kp.ru website. He pointed out that the range of the Russian complex is up to 5,500 kilometers, and the separation of the warheads begins in just a few seconds, RT reported.

The Russian leader offered these experts to organize a technological experiment - a kind of "high-tech duel of the XXI century" - in the course of which an object to be hit will be identified, where air defense and missile defense forces will concentrate their work, and the Russian military will strike there with the "Oreshnik", after which the result will be revealed, NSN reports. Russia is ready for such an experiment, Putin noted.

Putin announced the combat test of the Oreshnik ballistic missile, one of Russia's newest medium-range missile systems, on November 21, Regnum news agency reported. The step was taken in response to the escalation by Western countries in Ukraine. In the following days, the head of state specified that Russia would continue testing, while the decision on the serial production of missiles had already been made.

In early December, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko asked Putin to supply the country with Russian systems to launch the Oreshnik. The Russian president allowed their deployment in the republic in the second half of 2025.

The direct line with Vladimir Putin in 2024 is combined with a press conference for the media. The format called "Results of the Year with Vladimir Putin" allows the president to convey his position not only on citizens' issues, but also on the state and world agenda, which is often asked by journalists. Representatives of Western media and foreign journalists accredited in the Russian Federation also received invitations to the event.

As of the morning of December 19, the number of requests sent to the direct line with the president exceeded 2 million. The first live broadcast was held in December 2001. By the President's own admission, this event is the most powerful sociological poll, which allows citizens to convey their position and assessment of the country's leadership.

The latest news about the "Results of the Year with Vladimir Putin - 2024" - in the Izvestia story.