At his year-end “Results of the Year with Vladimir Putin” press conference today, the Russian President was challenged with the view of some military experts who claim that Western missile defense systems can easily shoot down Russia’s new hypersonic ballistic Oreshnik missile. He proceeded to ridicule such so-called experts: “Well, if those Western experts you mentioned believe that, they should suggest to their employers in the West and the U.S. to conduct a technological experiment. For instance, a high-tech duel of the 21st century. Let them identify a target in Kiev, concentrate all their air defense and missile defense systems there, and then we will strike it with an Oreshnik. Let’s see what happens. We are ready for such an experiment. Is the other side ready?”
Shortly afterwards, Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaking from Brussels, either pretended not to, or actually did not follow Putin’s ridicule. He expostulated: “Do you see who we are dealing with? Today, the Kremlin’s ‘comrade’ said that Russia is offering a technological duel. He said: ‘We’ll hit Kiev with the Oreshnik missile somewhere and [Ukraine] can try to intercept it. And let’s see what happens.’ Do you think this is a mentally stable person? They are just mental.”
Later, Zelenskyy attacked Putin, saying: “People are dying, and he thinks it’s ‘interesting’... dumbass.” This prompted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov to address Zelenskyy’s tone: “It appears to be the result of emotional overload, an inability to pull himself together, hence this rudeness. His nerves are failing.”
Perhaps the silver lining here is that Zelenskyy at least admits the possibility of a mentally unstable head of state.
