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'Don't Mess With Us, Because We Can Strike Back:' French Politician on Putin's Message to West

On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Russian armed forces carried out a combined strike using the latest Oreshnik intermediate-range hypersonic missiles against a Ukrainian defense industrial facility in response to Kiev’s strikes on Russian territory using American and British weapons.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a clear message to the West following the successful Oreshnik missile launch, Pedro Guanaes Netto, French politician and the host of Fréquence Populaire Média, told Sputnik Africa.

"It's a clear message: 'We have the capacity to hit you, if we want this'," the expert said. "Don't mess with us, because we can strike back."

He analyzed that the Oreshnik ballistic missile launch demonstrates Russia's capacity for innovation and missile production, even during wartime. This contrasts with Ukraine's reliance on dwindling stocks of external military supplies, the politician stressed.
By authorizing the use of ATACMS and Storm Shadow to strike Russia, the West "gave Putin carte blanche to be able to revise his doctrine since it becomes a response to a fact and no longer a unilateral action by Russia," Netto noted.
Opinion
Show of Force & Technological Prowess: Expert Comments on Russia's Oreshnik Hypersonic Missile Test
He also highlighted the increasing difficulty Western elites face in maintaining their narrative of a weakened Russia destined to lose the conflict. He cited recent polls indicating growing war weariness among Ukrainians, a shift from earlier unwavering resolve.