Hypersonic missiles would be response to Western support for Ukraine, says professor

According to US officials, Russia used hypersonic missiles for the first time during clashes in Ukraine last week. In an interview with CNNMariana Kalil War College professor assesses the action as a response by Vladimir Putin to the West’s support for Ukrainians.

“It seems to me to be a Russian response to the military support that has been offered by the West to Ukraine, which has expanded Ukraine’s defense possibilities in relation to the type of weapons Russia is using in the war,” said the expert.

In addition to a show of force, the use of hypersonic missiles could be a test of this type of material, sources told CNN. This is because this would be the first time that such artifacts are known to be used in combat.

“The big difference between hypersonic missiles in relation to other missiles is not only the speed, which would already make it difficult to detect these missiles, but also the possibility of changing the trajectory of these missiles when they are already flying”, explained Mariana.

Also in relation to the military strategies used, recently, the UN Security Council met, after a request from Russia, to discuss the alleged presence of biological weapons in Ukrainian territory.

“During the war, you never know exactly what is happening on the field. So we cannot, with absolute certainty, say that there are no weapons of mass destruction, chemical and biological, within Ukraine, because we do not have credible confirmation from Ukraine itself”, evaluated the professor.

24th day of war

This Saturday (19) marks 24 days since Russia invaded Ukraine. For Mariana Kalil, despite the fact that tactics are expected to change during a war, the conflict initiated by Putin is mainly “hybrid”.

“In general, as I see Putin’s strategy, it is like a hybrid warfare strategy, that is, a strategy that combines conventional warfare, cyber warfare, information warfare and irregular warfare.”

On the Ukrainian side, the expert believes that the strategy used could have negative long-term consequences. According to Mariana, the presence of civilians and paramilitary groups in the clashes could end up helping to fragment Ukraine as a state.

“Putin is using pressure from the West against the West itself. So the more the West arms Ukraine, the more Putin is winning at the negotiating table,” he said. He added: “I would have the option of arming the armed forces of Ukraine, not the citizens, not the paramilitary forces, but in practice that would mean losing the war faster.”