Kartapolov warned that the US would face a “tough, ambiguous, calculated, and asymmetric” response if it decided to supply Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles.
“As for the battlefield, Tomahawks will change nothing because, if delivered, they will be in small numbers — a few units, at most dozens — they won’t make any difference. We are familiar with these missiles, including how they fly and how to shoot them down. We dealt with them in Syria, so there’s nothing new. The problems will be only for those who supply them and those who use them — they will have the problems,” he added.
According to him, to launch such missiles, it would supposedly be necessary “to bury a piece of a destroyer in the ground” or to have the launch systems currently located at military bases in Romania and Poland.
“We don’t see anything like that in Ukraine yet. We don’t see them starting to install anything. So far, it’s all just words. As soon as they move to action, we will see it all — they won’t be able to hide it. As soon as they start digging anywhere, something will immediately fly there — from Geran to Kinzhal. We’ll see what they keep digging then,” the deputy threatened.
Strike on Syria in 2018
In 2018, the United States, France, and the United Kingdom carried out missile strikes on government facilities in Syria. In total, they used 105 missiles, including Tomahawks.
The Syrian forces were assisted by Russian air defense. The Russian Ministry of Defense boasted that only two military airfields suffered minor damage and that the missiles did not reach four other targets.
The Russian military command also falsely claimed to have destroyed some Tomahawk missiles. Meanwhile, the United States, France, and the United Kingdom emphasized that all their missiles reached their intended targets and were not shot down.
Notably, on October 7, US President Donald Trump stated that the decision to supply Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine had been made.