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Russia could send its most advanced hypersonic missiles to Venezuela as tensions with the United States escalate. Alexei Zhuravlyov, deputy chairman of Russia’s parliamentary defense committee, told Russian news outlet Gazeta.Ru there were “no obstacles” to providing the Oreshnik or Kalibr missiles to the “friendly” nation. “Russia is actually one of Venezuela’s key military-technical partners. We supply the country with nearly the entire range of weapons, from small arms to aviation. The details and volumes of deliveries are classified, so the Americans might be in for a surprise. I see no obstacles to providing our friendly nation with new systems such as the Oreshnik or the well-proven Kalibr missiles. No international commitments restrict Russia in this regard,” Zhuravlyov said. Russian President Vladimir Putin described the Oreshnik missile as an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), able to travel long distances at 10 times the speed of sound, or Mach 10. This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow. Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro exchange documents during a signing ceremony following their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, May 7, 2025, ahead of celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany during the World War II. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)