“I do not believe we should be appropriating over $10 billion for the right-wing extremist Netanyahu government to continue its current military approach,” Sanders said on Monday.
Speaking on the Senate floor after the vote, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called it a sad day in the history of the Senate and the country. He added that if no action is taken, Vladimir Putin is going to walk right through Ukraine and then through Europe.
Sad night for the Senate and America:
Republicans blocked funding for Ukraine, Israel, humanitarian aid for civilians in Gaza, funding for the Indo-Pacific
If Republicans don't get serious about a national security package, Putin's going to walk right through Ukraine and Europe
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who supports additional aid for Ukraine, had urged Republican senators to vote against the bill until there are “meaningful changes to the border.”
Earlier on Wednesday, Dec. 6, in a message to Congress, President Biden said he is willing to do “significantly more” on border security, but called out Republican senators, saying by not passing the bill, they are “willing to give Putin the greatest gift he could hope for.”
“History’s going to judge harshly those who turn their back on freedom’s cause. We can’t let Putin win,” Biden said.
Republican candidates square off in fourth debate: The Morning Rundown, Dec. 7, 2023
As the Republican field narrows, four presidential hopefuls take the debate stage for a fourth time. And, the U.S. military has grounded its entire fleet of Osprey aircraft following last week’s deadly crash. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023.
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With Haley rising in the polls and recently gaining the endorsement of the American for Prosperity advocacy group as well as news that billionaire co-founder of LinkedIn and Democrat donor Reid Hoffman recently gave $250,000 to a super PAC backing her, the former U.N. ambassador faced jabs early on.
DeSantis: “I have delivered results. That’s what we need for this country. You have other candidates up here like Nikki Haley; she caves any time the left comes after her. Any time the media comes after her.”
Ramaswamy decided to use a visual to make his case against Haley, writing on a notepad: “Nikki = corrupt.“
Ramaswamy: “After the third debate, when I criticized (Republican National Committee chair) Ronald McDaniel after five failed years of leadership in this party and criticized Nikki for her corrupt foreign dealings as a military contractor, she said I have a woman problem. I don’t have a woman problem. You have a corruption problem. I think that’s what people need to know. Nikki is corrupt. This is a woman who will send your kids to die so she can buy a bigger house.”
Christie took a different approach, defending Haley after earlier remarks from Ramaswamy, suggesting she couldn’t name provinces in Ukraine.
Christie: “We are now 25 minutes into this debate, and he has insulted Nikki Haley’s basic intelligence. Not her positions, her basic intelligence. She wouldn’t be able to find something on a map that his 3-year-old could find. Look, if you want to disagree on issues, that’s fine. Nikki and I disagree on some issues. I’ve known her for 12 years, which is longer than he started to vote in a Republican primary. And while we disagree about some issues and we disagree about who should be president of the United States. What we don’t disagree on this is a smart, accomplished woman. You should stop insulting her.”
Haley responded to DeSantis and Ramaswamy’s attacks, saying they are jealous.
Haley: “There is nothing to what’s he’s saying. In terms of these donors, they are just jealous. They wish they were supporting them, but I’m not going to sit there and deny it.”
As for Trump, Christie said he was running to tell the truth about the former president, saying there is no bigger issue in this race than Donald Trump, and criticized his fellow candidates for not talking more about the former president.
Russia sets March 2024 date for its election
As the United States prepares for a presidential election in 2024, on Thursday, Dec. 7, Russia announced plans for its own. By a unanimous vote, Russia’s Federation Council approved a date of March 17, 2024.
Although Russian President Vladimir Putin has not officially declared his intention to run again, he is expected to do so now that a date has been set. At 71 years old, Putin would be running for his fifth term in office, lasting six years.
One political analyst told the Associated Press, while others will run against Putin, the March vote will be more of a “ritual” than a competitive electoral election.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who supports additional aid for Ukraine, had urged Republican senators to vote against the bill until there are “meaningful changes to the border.”
Earlier on Wednesday, Dec. 6, in a message to Congress, President Biden said he is willing to do “significantly more” on border security, but called out Republican senators, saying by not passing the bill, they are “willing to give Putin the greatest gift he could hope for.”
Authorities have declined to identify the shooter to the public as of now, but law enforcement sources have told news outlets that he was a 67-year-old career college professor, who had connections to other universities and had applied for a position at UNLV but was not hired.
The identities of the victims have not been released. Police said the surviving gunshot victim, originally listed as critical, is now in stable condition. Shots rang out around 11:45 am local time in an academic building on campus where students were playing games and eating food.
According to officials, two university police detectives immediately engaged in a shootout with the suspect, killing him. A motive for the shooting is under investigation.
US military grounding all Osprey aircraft following fatal crash near Japan
Reuters reports, according to the Flight Safety Foundation, at least 50 military personnel have been killed in crashes involving the aircraft.
McDonald’s testing new restaurant concept
McDonald’s has unveiled plans for a new kind of restaurant, one they hope customers will think is out of this world. It is called CosMc’s, named after a McDonald’s alien mascot from the 1980s.
In its announcement on Wednesday, Dec. 6, McDonald’s said the small format concept will focus on unique beverages such as a churro frappe, a smores cold brew, or a sour cherry energy burst.
There will be food options as well. CosMc’s customers will be able to try a spicy queso sandwich or a creamy avocado tomatillo sandwich. The restaurants will feature multiple drive-thru lanes. The first CosMc’s location will open later this month in Illinois. McDonald’s hopes to open 10 by the end of 2024.
Multiple fires destroy military manufacturing plants deep inside Russia
Video shared online depicts the latest fire at a Russian military-industrial manufacturing plant. Information from Ukrainian sources on Telegram and Russia’s Ministry of Transportation Telegram indicates the fire started on Sunday, Dec. 3, and burned through the night.
Russian reports say the cause of the fire is under investigation. The Moscow Special-Purpose Vehicles Factory manufactures truck trailers and holds Russian government contracts for a “specialized car for a transportable pressure chamber.”
Traditionally, heavy vehicle factories in Russia also produce armored vehicles for the Russian Armed Forces.
This recent fire, covering an area of 21,000 square feet and located just 10 miles from the Kremlin, has not been claimed by Ukrainian forces or partisans. Nevertheless, two fires at manufacturing plants were reported in late November.
On Sunday Nov. 26, an explosion at the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant in Russia resulted in a severe fire. The plant produces engines for T-72 and T-90 tanks, Terminator armored fighting vehicles and self-propelled artillery. The plant faced sanctions in 2023 from the U.S. and Ukraine for supplying engines to Russian troops.
Ukraine has not commented on the alleged attack; however, if it is responsible, this would mark its most distant attack behind enemy lines during the ongoing war. Chelyabinsk is located over 1,100 miles from the current front line.
Similarly, on Sunday, at the Smolensk Aviation Factory, located 200 miles from the front lines, Russia’s state media reported the downing of dozens of drones during an alleged terrorist attack in the region.
Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR) promptly claimed responsibility for the explosion at the Smolensk Aviation Factory, where the plant produces Kh-59 cruise missiles.
According to The Telegraph, this attack was part of a retaliatory wave of 35 drones launched by Ukraine in response to a Saturday, Nov. 25, attack involving 70 Russian Shahed drones.
This attack wasn’t the first on the Smolensk Aviation Factory. During an October attack, also claimed by Ukrainian intelligence, three of the four UAVs hit the target, causing significant damage to the production facilities.
Ukraine, low on most everything, enters ‘new phase’ of war
The war in Ukraine is entering a new phase. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said winter always brings “a new phase” to fighting, but Ukrainians are hoping this winter also brings a new phase of funding.
If it wasn’t obvious already, Ukraine’s summer counteroffensive is firmly over. Now, that doesn’t mean each side won’t try to press for more ground along the frontlines, but any larger-scale ground operations are likely done until spring.
Straight Arrow News has reported on the hard-fought, albeit meager gains from the counteroffensive before, and how a lack of sufficient weapons in sufficient numbers had a negative impact on Ukrainians’ wartime progress. Suffice it to say, the summer counteroffensive did not yield the sort of results Kyiv, or its Western allies, wanted.
Ukraine Armed Forces focused much of its efforts in the south around Zaporizhzhia. The frontlines there are mostly static now.
In eastern Ukraine, Avdiivka became the site of some of the war’s fiercest battles. Around one thousand Russian troops per day died in November, most trying to take Avdiivka. Those numbers are comparable to daily Russian casualties in World War I.
In what may prove the most consequential recent battlefield victory, Ukraine now has a beachhead on the left bank of the Dnipro River, south of Kherson. Ukrainian marines, some of whom reportedly can’t even swim, were able to establish the new foothold in the middle of November.
Since then, Ukraine has employed every tool in its kit to expand the beachhead. But barring any major breakthrough, the battle lines will probably stay about the same for the next few months. These conditions do not favor the Ukrainians, and that means the new phase of the war could be one of transition. Despite all the promises from the United States, support may be running out.
President Zelenskyy admitted in late November that his military was running low on most everything, from weapons and ammo to soldiers. So, a prolonged stalemate will only benefit Russia, which is seemingly content on losing tens of thousands more troops if it means winning the war.
Ukraine is also running low on aid from the United States. Shalanda Young, the director of the White House’s Office of Management and Budget, said in an open letter to Congress that the $111 billion pot of money the U.S. set aside for Ukraine aid will dry up by year’s end. If that happens, Young said Ukraine will be “kneecapped” on the battlefield, and risks losing the war.
President Joe Biden wants Congress to approve his $106 billion aid package that would send money and weapons to Israel, Taiwan, Ukraine, and the U.S. southern border. Republicans in Congress said they won’t pass aid to Ukraine unless it’s tied to immigration reform.
Ukraine Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhny said the stalemate in Ukraine can’t end without a major technological breakthrough or an increase in Western weapons. More European allies are increasing their weapons donations to Ukraine, and the country’s own domestic weapons production is getting better, but losing American aid at this time in the war would be devastating.
Iran upgrading air force with jets from Russia no one else wants
For the first time in more than 30 years, Iran is buying new fighter jets. Well, not new, but new to them. In addition to some fourth-generation Su-35s, Iran is buying some Mi-28 attack helicopters from Russia and training aircraft as well.
The deal was first announced a year ago, but Mehdi Farahi, Iran’s deputy defense minister, said the agreement is now finalized. A timeline for when exactly the aircraft will be delivered is still up in the air.
The Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force currently maintains a small fleet of older fighter jets that, quite frankly, wouldn’t stand a chance in modern air combat. So, even though the Su-35 is considered by many to be the most over-hyped fourth-generation aircraft on the market, they will still be the most advanced fighters Iran’s air force has ever flown.
Russia touts its flankers as “fourth-generation plus plus” multi-role fighters; supposedly superior to the U.S.-made F-16.
Su-35s are fast and highly maneuverable. They can carry a fairly extensive amount of armament and can operate at day or night in most weather conditions.
A skilled pilot flying a flanker would present a challenge to another fourth-generation aircraft, but they are not on the same level. And Su-35s don’t hold a candle next to fifth-generation fighters like the F-22 or F-35.
More than one aerospace expert called the Su-35’s sensors and radars the “least capable” in its class.
An analysis from 2020 showed the fighter’s maximum targeting range was around just 155 miles. The mapping feature alone on the F-16’s radar has a greater range than that. And the targeting systems on fifth-gen fighters, like the ones flown by the U.S. and Israel, can engage targets beyond the visible horizon.
Even though Russia hasn’t officially confirmed the deal with Iran, it’s believed the planes being bought were originally built for Egypt’s air force.
In 2018, Egypt ordered 24 Su-35s, a deal at the time worth $2 billion. But Egypt withdrew from the agreement after the U.S. threatened sanctions. The planes were still made, however, and apparently now have a new home.
Egypt isn’t the only country to back out of a deal to buy Su-35s from Russia over the last decade. The United Arab Emirates thought about buying some but went with the French-made Rafales instead.
Algeria, Indonesia, Turkey, and Vietnam all showed some initial interest in flying flankers, and all ended up with something else.
India is still looking to upgrade its air force, but there again, the French-made Rafale appears to be the frontrunner.
And Russia can’t put all the blame on the U.S. or the West for killing those deals. The Su-35’s recent battlefield performance isn’t exactly dominant.
At least five Su-35 flankers were shot down in Ukraine by a country with a notably smaller air force. One of the downed flankers was part of the now infamous “five aircraft in five minutes” saga where a single Ukrainian PATRIOT air defense system shot down three Russian helicopters and two Russian jets in the span of just five minutes.
If Iran plans to use its newly acquired flankers against Israel, which is a growing possibility considering the condition of the Middle East, the fight would be short lived. Israel has plenty of modern air defense systems, including PATRIOT missile batteries, which will make quick work of the older Russian aircraft.
Winter weather walloping Russia’s defenses in Crimea
Winter weather is walloping the Black Sea region, including Ukraine, occupied Crimea and southern Russia. The powerful storm Bettina is creating blizzard conditions inland while pounding coastlines with huge waves and hurricane force winds. The storm is serious, no doubt, but it could be just what Ukraine needs to end the so-called stalemate with Russia.
Meteorologists in Russia said Bettina is the strongest winter storm on record to hit the region. The storm has already claimed at least three lives. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the “extremely challenging weather” was affecting large parts of the country, knocking out power and hampering travel.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Energy said more than 2,000 towns and villages were without electricity in 16 regions, including Kyiv, Odesa, and Mykolaiv with more strong winds and snow predicted.
In occupied Crimea, Mother Nature may have just done more to destroy Russian defenses in a weekend than what Ukraine’s armed forces have been able to do since 2014. In addition to knocking out power to much of the peninsula, Bettina is battering Russian troops and their fortifications.
Anton Gerashchenko, an Interior Ministry adviser in Ukraine, posted videos showing Crimean coasts getting pummeled by waves more than 20 feet high. Citing Crimean media outlets, Gerashchenko said miles of Russia’s defensive lines along the shore were washed away including trenches, engineering buildings and firing positions.
The strong storm surge is also being credited with helping Ukraine demine the waters around Crimea and southern Kherson. In eastern Crimea, the Kerch Bridge could be left vulnerable as well.
The bridge is a primary supply route between Russia and its troops in Crimea. Ukraine launched several successful attacks on the bridge before using long- range missiles and unmanned surface drones. However, the bridge is still standing and in use. After the earlier attacks, Russia increased its air defenses in the area surrounding the bridge and added barges on the water to protect its pylons.
But those barges aren’t designed to operate in the extreme winter weather conditions created by Bettina. At the very least, the barges will likely suffer some major damages if not rendered totally useless. So, once Bettina bows out, there will be a window of time when the Kerch Bridge could be more vulnerable to attack than it’s been in years.
Making matters worse for Russia, Bettina blew in around the same time a fire erupted at a Russian factory in Chelyabinsk. Flames could be seen rising from the facility, which is located more than 900 miles east of Moscow. There’s no word yet on what caused the fire, and there likely won’t be. Russia doesn’t respond to Western media’s requests for comment, and Ukraine doesn’t take public credit for attacks in Russian territory.
The Chelyabinsk Tractor Factory is a prime military target, though. Workers there make engines for Russian tanks, armored personnel carriers and other military vehicles. Vehicles which will be sorely needed as winter sets in, blanketing the battlefields under feet of snow.
Finland’s border dispute with Russia intensifies over migrant influx
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo has called on Russia to cease sending asylum seekers to Finland, characterizing the practice as a “hybrid attack.” Finland recently closed most border crossings due to an influx of over 800 migrants from nations including Afghanistan, Kenya, Morocco, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria and Yemen. Finland is accusing Russia of orchestrating the situation as retaliation for increased defense cooperation with the United States.
Getty Images
Orpo emphasized the issue as a matter of national security and a hybrid attack rather than a refugee crisis. Finland’s government has closed all but one land border crossing with Russia and is requiring individuals without proper documents to stay in supervised centers until their identities are established.
Associated Press
“We want to send a clear message to Russia: this must stop,” Orpo said at a press conference. “It is not at this moment a question of asylum seekers, it is a question of hybrid attack and national security.”
The Finnish Border Guard anticipates support from Frontex, The European Border and Coast Guard Agency, to patrol the 832-mile border. The situation has prompted concerns about asylum rights and potential violations of the ban on return and mass deportation. Neighboring countries, including Norway, Estonia, and Latvia, have also raised similar concerns about Russia’s actions.
In a press release, Minister of the Interior Mari Rantanen said: “Illegal immigration at Finland’s eastern border has continued to grow and has also expanded to other border crossings. Based on the observations made by the Border Guard and other authorities and the information received, it is clear that the authorities of a foreign country and other actors play a role in facilitating the arrival of persons who have crossed the border to Finland.”
Reuters
The decision remains in effect until Dec. 23, 2023 as Finland assesses the scope of its decision.
This tiny tracked vehicle can help Ukraine topple mud season
Russians call it “Rasputitsa,” or the Season of Bad Roads. In Ukraine it’s known as “Bezdorizhzhia,” or Roadlessness. They both refer to the same thing: it’s mud season in Ukraine. Days of steady rainfall turn every unpaved road, field and tree line into a quagmire of muck in which most anything will get stuck.
Thankfully, the fall mud season usually isn’t as severe as the spring, but it’s still going to slow things down for both sides. When transporting troops and supplies with standard equipment, it’s usually not a matter of “if” but “when” a vehicle gets stuck.
Historically, Ukraine’s mud season tends to favor the side not trying to press the fight. If someone is on the defensive and dug in, they’re not moving a whole lot. This was apparent last year. Mud season hit, and Ukraine didn’t have enough of the right equipment to overcome it, slowing the fight to a point that Russia was able to build its complex system of trenches and minefields.
Ukraine can’t afford to let that happen again, and its Western allies certainly don’t want that happening again. Over the last few months, Western aid shipments to Ukraine focused on preparing for winter operations. In addition to cold weather gear, Ukraine’s Western partners donated better cold weather equipment. Ukraine will most likely start operating more of these systems in the coming weeks.
Systems like the Hägglunds Bandvagn 206: an all-terrain tracked carrier. The BV206 was designed in Sweden, but it’s in wide use by businesses and militaries needing to operate in water, snow, ice, mud, sand, gravel or asphalt.
The vehicle consists of two parts. The front unit contains the Mercedes-Benz engine. It’s also where the driver sits, along with up to five other soldiers. The rear unit can hold another 11 troops, or equipment, or it could be left open and converted into a mobile mortar or missile launcher. In Ukraine, it’s easy to imagine drones launching off the back.
The BV206 doesn’t offer the same sort of protection as a tank or other armored vehicle, but it’s also not really designed to do that. One of the key features that make the Bandvagn special is its maneuverability. It accomplishes this by being light on its tracked feet and the way it steers.
Unlike other tracked vehicles that turn by slowing down one track or the other — an action that causes the track to grind into the ground — the BV206 articulates. Essentially, it bends at the waist. The Bandvagn’s articulation and weight distribution enable it to move with relative ease through soft snow, sand, marshlands or right across lakes and rivers. Its body is fully sealed, making the Bandvagn an amphibious tracked vehicle as well.
To date, Germany donated 46 Bandvagn 206s to Ukraine. Berlin just announced plans to donate another 14.
In a winter aid package totaling €1 billion, Germany also announced it would increase the number of Leopard 1 and Leopard 2 main battle tanks it’s sending to Ukraine next year. They plan to move more air defense systems to the country by the end of this year.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorious said his country plans to double its military aid to Ukraine in 2024 to €8 billion. Germany is now in second place behind the United States when it comes to Ukraine’s largest supporters.
Ukraine’s Security Services (SBU) said its snipers are “rewriting the rules of global sniping.” A recently published video is making the rounds on Ukrainian and Russian social media channels showing the proof.
The video shows the point of view of a Ukrainian sniper targeting Russian troops at a distance of 3,800 meters — over two miles.
There are three people in the video — two on the left, one on the right. The person on the right has the macabre honor of being on the receiving end of what is now the world record for longest range sniper kill. The previous record was 3,540 meters held by a Canadian sniper in Iraq.
The SBU sniper took the shot using a rifle produced in Ukraine. It’s called the Volodar Obriyu, or Horizon’s Lord in English. It’s an anti-material rifle that can take down lightly armored vehicles and anti-tank missile systems. It uses a specially designed cartridge based on the NATO .50 caliber round. Needless to say, the impact on soft targets like Russian soldiers is profound.
An official statement accompanying the video said, “SBU snipers are rewriting the rules of global sniping, showcasing unparalleled abilities to operate effectively at remarkable distances.”
Snipers in Ukraine were known for wreaking havoc and causing chaos, even before the latest record-setting shot. Armed with thermal scopes and cloaks that hide their own thermal signature, sniper teams like the “Ghosts of Bakhmut” are targeting Russian commanders on the battlefield 24 hours a day.
Russia’s ability to fight at night is limited because its troops don’t have enough night vision and thermal optics. Ukraine wants to exploit that advantage as much as possible. In another wartime innovation, the Ukraine Armed Forces are using drones with low-light and thermal imaging sensors as well.
The Lumiere Group from Ukraine’s 3rd Assault Brigade released video on Telegram of its drone operators using a night-time FPV kamikaze drone. The drone looks like it’s tracking a vehicle of some sort before the image cuts out, indicating a successful impact.
Throughout the war in Ukraine, there’s been no shortage of videos showing drones dropping bombs or blowing up themselves. It’s likely many of those videos will now be shot at night.
This marks the latest evolution of drone warfare in Ukraine and shows the degree to which the Ukrainians are relying on the new technology to fight its asymmetric war. Simply put, the inexpensive and highly effective tools are keeping Ukraine in the fight. Keep in mind, Ukraine doesn’t even have a real navy, but aerial drones and unmanned surface vessels crippled Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.
Doubling-down on the benefits drones bring to the battle, Ukraine’s Army of Drones initiative announced it would be sending more than 2,000 locally-produced drones to critical areas of the frontlines. The latest shipment will include recon, bomber and kamikaze drones; including a new model of suicide drone called the “Morok” that has a reported range of around 500 miles.
Russia hypes nuclear-capable hypersonic glide vehicle on ICBM
The war in Ukraine is not going Russia’s way. Ukraine has established multiple beachheads along the Dnipro River in recent weeks. At the same time, thousands of Russian soldiers died in the war’s new meat grinder, Avdiivka.
As he is known to do when suffering a series of battlefield losses, Vladimir Putin is rattling his nuclear saber once again.
“Zvezda” is a state-owned television network in Russia that’s run by the military. On Nov. 15, the network aired footage of Russia’s latest wonder-weapon: an intercontinental ballistic missile armed with the nuclear-capable Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle.
Russia unveiled the weapon in 2018 and claims it combines the speed of ICBMs with the maneuverability of cruise missiles. While on approach to the target, Russia says that the Avangard glide vehicle separates from the rocket and is able to maneuver outside the trajectory of the rocket at hypersonic speeds. If the weapon works as described, Russia would be able to launch a nuclear weapon that could avoid U.S. missile defense systems.
Putin said the new technology is in response to a new generation of weapons produced by the United States.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense claimed the Avangard glide vehicle can travel 21,000 miles per hour. That’s 27 times faster than the speed of sound, and, if true, would mean Russian scientists were able to do what their U.S. counterparts have so far failed to do: figure out a way to build a weapon that travels so fast it turns the air molecules around it into plasma.
Concerns about the legitimacy of Russia’s claims aside, critics question whether Russia would be able to produce the Avangards at scale. Earlier this year, Straight Arrow News spoke with Dr. Tyler White, the director of the National Security Program at the University of Nebraska.
When asked about Russia’s potential use of nuclear weapons, Dr. White was quick to point out that Russia — and Putin in particular — often stretches the truth regarding the country’s weapons and nuclear capabilities.
“I think what Putin is doing is he’s trying to, with the limited resources he has, but with the nuclear weapons he has, make sure that Russia is always at the center of attention because that gives him power. And he does it by scaring people. And he does it through nuclear blackmail. And I think that’s what all of that stuff is about,” White said.
“How worried should we be? Honestly, I don’t know,” he continued. “You want to say you’re sort of skeptical of these new technological innovations when, you know, our satellite passes have shown a lot of these things have blown up on a test stand and they’re having all kinds of problems with them. But it only takes one for it to be a civilization-altering event. So, you have to take it seriously.”
Russia installed the newest Avangard-equipped missile at its military facility in Orenburg. It’s the same facility where another Avangard missile was installed in 2019.
Russia released the most recent video of the missile’s installation two weeks after Moscow withdrew from the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. Moscow said while it’s disappointed in the disintegration of arms-control treaties, the Russian Federation needs to take steps to reach a parity with the United States.
