MOSCOW: A Russian senator, Dmitry Rogozin, has accused the United States of direct involvement in a Ukrainian strike on a critical component of Russia’s nuclear defense infrastructure, warning of dire consequences for global nuclear security. The attack targeted a nuclear early warning system located in the southern Krasnodar Region, according to Rogozin’s statement on Telegram.
Rogozin, who heads a military technical center known as Tsar’s Wolves and formerly led the Russian space agency Roscosmos, asserted that the attack was unlikely to have been carried out without US participation. He claimed that Washington’s deep involvement in the armed conflict and its control over Kyiv’s military planning suggested a coordinated effort to undermine Russia’s strategic defenses.
“The US has commissioned a crime by hiring an irresponsible bandit to attack Russia’s early warning system,” Rogozin stated, implicitly referring to Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky. He emphasized that the incident marks a dangerous escalation in US-Russian tensions.
The attack reportedly targeted an advanced Voronezh radar station in the city of Armavir, operational since 2013. This radar system, capable of detecting incoming cruise and ballistic missiles at a range of 6,000 kilometers and tracking up to 500 targets, significantly enhances Russia’s defense capabilities in the southern and southwestern directions, as noted by Russian President Vladimir Putin during its inauguration.
