The quiet black-and-white footage from the surveillance camera of the Russian missile strike in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro was short yet horrifying: Six massive fireballs shot through the night and crashed into the ground at incredible speed.
Just hours after the Nov. 21 attack on the military base, Russian President Vladimir Putin made the unusual choice to address the nation on TV to flaunt the new hypersonic missile. He cautioned the West that its subsequent application might target Ukraine’s NATO partners that permitted Kyiv to utilize their longer-range missiles for attacks within Russia.
Putin stated that the missile was named the “Oreshnik,” which translates to “hazelnut tree” in Russian.
An examination of the weapon, its role in Moscow’s strategy, and the political statement Russia aims to convey through its use:
What is Oreshnik?
A pleased grin appeared on Putin’s face as he spoke about the Oreshnik racing towards its target at 10 times the speed of sound, or Mach 10, “like a meteorite,” and asserted that it could not be intercepted by any missile defense system. Ukrainian military authorities stated it achieved Mach 11.
Gen. Sergei Karakayev, leader of Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces, stated that the Oreshnik can transport nuclear or conventional warheads and has a range capable of hitting any target in Europe.
The Pentagon stated that the Oreshnik was a trial variation of a medium-range ballistic missile, or IRBM, derived from Russia’s RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile, known as ICBM. The assault represented the initial instance of this type of weapon being employed in a conflict.
Intermediate-range missiles have a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometers (310 to 3,400 miles). These weapons were prohibited by a treaty from the Soviet period that both Washington and Moscow renounced in 2019.
Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate reported that the missile was equipped with six warheads, with each warhead containing six submunitions. Its load of separately aimable warheads, resembling a bunch of hazelnuts on a tree, might be the reason behind the missile’s name.
Putin asserted that the missile is so potent that deploying multiple of them — even with regular warheads — could be as destructive as a nuclear attack. It can obliterate underground bunkers located “three, four, or even more levels below,” he claimed, warning that he might target it at the government area in Kyiv.
