Russia deploys nuclear-powered hypersonic missiles in Kaliningrad: they would reach Berlin or Paris

Three Russian military planes landed on Thursday at the Chakalovsk airbase in Kaliningradthe Russian exclave that borders Poland and Lithuania, two NATO countries. These data might seem irrelevant – especially if one takes into account that Moscow has been militarizing the area for years – were it not for the fact that these fighters were equipped with nuclear-capable hypersonic missiles.

The information has been released by Russian Ministry of Defense in the communication channels of the Kremlin. He has done it almost at the same time that the president of Ukraine, Volodímir Zelenski and the secretary general of the United Nations, António Guterres, warned of “catastrophic consequences for the entire world” if the bombings continue in the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in Ukrainecontrolled by Russian troops since the beginning of the invasion.

As detailed by Moscow, it is Kinzhal missiles (meaning “dagger” in Spanish), which have nuclear capabilities, fly at a speed ten times the speed of sound -which makes them difficult to intercept by air defense systems- and a range of about 2,000 kilometers of distance. “It is the ideal weapon,” Putin said in 2018, according to what he collects Reuters.

That means, among other things, that if they left Kaliningrad they could comfortably hit cities like berlin (at 730 kilometers), Paris (1567 kilometers) or London (1581 kilometers).

That does not seem to be Russia’s intention. Or at least not at the moment. As announced by the Kremlin, the transfer of these weapons when the sixth month of the war in Ukraine is about to be completed is part of a package of “additional strategic deterrent measures” in the Baltic Sea area. A region where just a few months ago NATO has carried out military maneuvers with several of the member countries.

[Daga, el misil hipersónico que Rusia presume de usar en Ucrania: impacta a 14.000 km/h]

To fulfill their mission, these aircraft will be operational and on alert 24 hours a day under the control of the 6th Air Army of the Russian Air Forceas well as with anti-aircraft systems and the Baltic Fleet, according to the statement.

These missiles have a range of 2,000 km and fly at ten times the speed of sound

Not content with warning the West of this military deployment in an area bordering Alliance members and where Russia is estimated to have between 9,000 and 200,000 soldiers deployed, the Russian ministry has released a video can see several fighters reaching the base, but without the missiles, which could have been delivered separately.

The transfer of the Kinzhal missiles (which can carry both conventional and nuclear warheads) joins Putin’s efforts to show the technological capacity of his army before NATO. Especially since since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine he has accused the United States and its allies of fuel the conflict with the supply of weapons to the kyiv forces.

Now, although in March Russian troops boasted of having used these hypersonic missiles in Ukraine to destroy a warehouse of military equipment, there are no reports to confirm this.