Russia uses Zircon hypersonic missile in Ukraine for first time, researchers say

Feb 12 (Reuters) - A preliminary analysis concluded that Russia hit Kyiv last week with the hypersonic Zircon missile, its first use in the nearly two-year-old war, the head of a Kyiv research institute said on Monday, presenting a new challenge to Ukraine's air defences. Oleksandr Ruvin, director of the Kyiv Scientific-Research Institute for Forensic Examinations, said on his Telegram channel that his institute completed a preliminary analysis of missile fragments from a Russian attack on Feb. 7.

He included a video of alleged missile wreckage showing specific markings. "In this case, we see elements that are characteristic of the 3M22 Zircon missile. Parts and fragments of the engine and steering mechanisms have specific markings," he wrote.

He is insane. Everyone who plans a game of brinksmanship is insane. To make it credible one has to be partially or fully mad.

As for your other statement:

1. You are correct - Russians would not have their country destroyed with nuclear fire.
3. However, the same applies to the West. This is exactly why I was mentioning that no Western leader will play a game of chance with their own citizens. That’s the only good thing about nuclear weapons - it makes all sides take a pause and think a bit.
3. Why do 1 and 2 exist?
Step a: Russia knows it cannot defeat NATO conventionally, thus its nuclear doctrine allows for use of tactical weapons when they are about to be massively outrun by a superior conventional force.
Step b: NATO knows they can defeat Russia conventionally, and thus have to calculate what that would mean in terms of escalation. NATO knows that if Russia used tactical nuclear weapons, they would have to respond with their own similar weapons.
Step c: Russia knows that the NATO tactical response would most likely escalate into the use of strategic weapons.
Step d: Ditto for NATO.
Step e: Neither NATO nor Russia wants to risk such outcomes, and thus everything is done in a moderated manner (eg, Germany going from only delivering helmets to now giving tanks, artillery systems and anti-air missiles - everything has been very paced, much to Ukraine’s chagrin …!!!!)

What does all of the above mean?

- Both NATO and Russia will not escalate.
- In the same way Putin/Russians will not risk nuclear war with NATO because of Ukraine, in the same way no French President or Italian Prime Minister or Western whatever will risk nuclear war with Russia over Ukraine. No matter what fans of either side think, that will not happen.
- Finally, it will result in what I said. An armistice, with the borders being frozen more or less where the frontlines currently are. Russia has enough weapons to make life miserable for Ukraine, but not to take over the country. Ukraine can score wins against Russia (eg a ship here, a plane there), but that will not take Russia back to the February borders (be it Feb 2022 or Feb 2014).

An armistice will happen by the end of this year. I’d bet on it. Definitely if President Trump wins/ Republicans keep at least one of the houses of Congress.

Should Biden seem to be on the way to a triumphant end, then maybe the armistice will happen in mid/late 2025.

But an armistice will happen. There will be no winner to that war. Ukraine is afraid for political reasons to mobilize the 500,000+ people it needs; and Russia is still playing that ‘special operations nonsense’ they’ve been squawking about for two years.

And NATO will not get more involved than they are now. I can only imagine how the German Chancellor, for example, would explain to his citizens (who are already really angry at the economy, considering Germany always needed cheap energy to maintain the industrial edge they enjoyed for decades) that the German military will be fighting Russia. Will never happen.

But, let’s see. I could be wrong. :)

Because Russia has no chance against NATO in a conventional war,
————-
Not so, for many reasons. NATO has degraded immensely, the UK for instance has a military of only 57,000 men, yesterdays report stated they are lucky if they can field a fraction of that- they can’t even assemble a brigade of armor…
Same story with Germany- hollowed out.

Which makes the US and Poland the only two members with any type of viable military…..and with the US’s supply lines over 6,000 miles- under fire- heavy losses.

Vlad has stated a year ago they have built up enough arms and weapons over the past few years to “wage war with NATO for three years”….while the US and West can’t even supply enough weapons for the Ukies.

Enough said. As for now, Russia has everything it needs to defend itself, with enough stockpiles to last a few years ( as we are witnessing).

For now, Vlad has the advantage.

I’m a wishful thinker and I believe that Russia/Putin screwed the pooch and will eventually quit, go back home and will return to Ukraine all that was Ukraine’s before Putin’s invasion.

The original, internationally recognized borders and national sovereignty of Ukraine will be upheld and Ukraine will be able to profit from the natural resources that Putin is now attempting to steal from them.

I believe these natural resource are the sole reason for Putin’s invasion and any other stated reasons are merely his justifying this theft.

Such an outcome is wishful thinking, perhaps, but when I watch this reality TV soap opera we’re living through, I don’t know what is real or make believe and so too with many of the characters in the show.

I don’t know if Putin is really Putin, if Biden is still Biden or who is making his decisions and it’s obvious more than a few of the players don’t even seem to know what gender they are! All madness!!!

At some point, I think there will be an awakening of some sort that ends this madness before the madness ends us all.

And, to that end, I think Ukraine and the West should continue to do all things possible to make his invading Ukraine supremely painful and unprofitable for Putin so as to make his exit and Ukraine’s restoration the most likely outcome.

Pre-European invasion, North America was originally populated by tribes.

I don’t hear you arguing that 400 years on it’s about high time the (573 federally recognized) tribal governments got their land back because it was stolen by European imperialists and white immigrants who’ve only been around for a couple of centuries, which is nothing really.

Funny, that.

But Putin can stroke his wanger very furiously about the thousand years of history which explain why in his tiny little mind Ukraine (and probably most of eastern Europe is rightfully the property of Muscovy - through Slavic blood, through some ancient right of conquest, or because the buggers were forced by the Soviet Union to learn to speak Russian for the few decades the USSR had the whip hand over eastern Europe.

And you think he’s got a point?

“We had to fight England For our independence” - yup, and you needed the help of the French to do it. Yup, you needed the nation of CHEESE EATING SURRENDER MONKEYS to help you. I wonder if some moron back in the day said, “Well, derp, the Frogs are the Deep State war profiteers so screw their independence campaign; if they want to be independent of Britain they shouldn’t be a client state of Frog-Land, they should go to London on bended knee and ask very nicely and if they can’t do it on their own dime they shouldn’t oughta be doing it at all.”

But that’s literally what the pro-Putin argument boils down to, isn’t it.

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