Russia’s New Oreshnik Missile Fired in Ukraine Strike

In a recent development, Russian President Vladimir Putin revealed the deployment of a new missile system during a strike on Ukraine. The missile, christened Oreshnik, was used for the first time in combat conditions, according to an unscheduled television appearance by Putin on Thursday. This intermediate-range ballistic missile, capable of carrying nuclear warheads, was launched at the city of Dnipro.

Putin described the Oreshnik missile as «one of the newest Russian mid-range missile systems,» emphasizing its deployment «in a non-nuclear hypersonic configuration.» The Russian leader claimed the test was successful, hitting its intended target. «Modern air defence systems… cannot intercept such missiles. That’s impossible,» Putin remarked, alluding to the missile’s speed of Mach 10, or 2.5-3 kilometres per second, which is well within hypersonic velocities that exceed five times the speed of sound.

Military expert Viktor Baranets, writing for the Komsomolskaya Pravda tabloid, suggested the missile could carry multiple warheads. Meanwhile, Igor Korotchenko, editor of the National Defence journal, told TASS state news agency that the missile’s warheads are independently guided. Currently, these warheads were conventional, but the missile has nuclear capabilities as well.

The missile was launched from the Kapustin Yar range in Russia‘s Astrakhan region, approximately 900 kilometres from Dnipro. While President Putin referred to it as «medium-range,» experts classify it as intermediate-range, with potential distances from 1,000 to 5,500 kilometres. «In any case, we witnessed the first combat use in history by Russia of an intermediate-range missile,» commented Dmitry Kornev, editor of the Military Russia website.

Sources indicate the Oreshnik is based on the RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), with American defense officials describing it as «experimental.» Little is known about the Rubezh, a modification of the Topol ICBM, as its development was reportedly halted in favor of other projects under Russia’s state weapons program.

The deployment of Oreshnik has implications for European security. «Oreshnik can threaten practically all of Europe,» stated Pavel Podvig, director of the Russian Nuclear Forces Project. This development occurs in the backdrop of a 2019 withdrawal by both the United States and Russia from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, which originally saw both parties agreeing to eliminate missiles within the 500 to 5,500-kilometre range.

Putin added that Russia will continue to assess the deployment of such missiles in response to actions from the United States and its allies.