Russian strike near EU border message from an 'unhappy' Putin: Analysts

LONDON Russia's Oreshnik missile attack in Ukraine near the EU border aims to intimidate Kyiv's Western allies, and signals President Vladimir Putin's displeasure at recent foreign policy setbacks including in Venezuela, analysts said on Jan 9.

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Days after European and US negotiators unveiled a postwar peacekeeping plan for Ukraine, Russia overnight on Jan 8 to 9 targeted an infrastructure facility in the country's western region of Lviv with the Oreshnik nuclear-capable intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM). It is thought to be only the second known combat use of the weapon.

While Moscow said the strike was in response to an alleged drone attack on a Putin residence in December, analysts said the move was designed to send a clear message to Western leaders and frighten ordinary Europeans.

"Vladimir Putin is using this to communicate with the West, because he could undoubtedly achieve the same operational effects without this missile," Dr Cyrille Bret, a Russia expert at the Paris-based Montaigne Institute, told AFP.

"As Europeans are developing their air defence capabilities, this is a way of reminding them of their vulnerability," he added.

The Kremlin has touted the Oreshnik as a "state-of-the-art" weapon, which travels at hypersonic speeds, can hit targets across Europe and cannot be intercepted.