The grainy black-and-white footage captured by surveillance cameras during the recent missile strike in Dnipro, Ukraine, conveys a stark and terrifying scene: six massive fireballs burst through the night sky and crashed into the ground at an incredible velocity.
Within hours following the missile assault on the military installation on November 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin made a rare television appearance to showcase the hypersonic missile used in the attack. He issued a warning to the West, suggesting that the next deployment could target NATO allies who have permitted Kyiv to utilize their longer-range weaponry against Russian territory.
Putin referred to the missile as the “Oreshnik,” which translates to “hazelnut tree” in English.
Insights into the Oreshnik missile: What is it?
A satisfied grin appeared on Putin’s face while he described the Oreshnik’s terrifying capabilities, stating it travels to its target at speeds reaching Mach 10, likening it to a meteor. He claimed the missile is invulnerable to any missile defense systems. Meanwhile, Ukrainian military officials reported that the missile might have achieved speeds as high as Mach 11.
Gen. Sergei Karakayev, commander of Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces, indicated that the Oreshnik could carry either nuclear or conventional warheads and possesses a range capable of reaching any location across Europe.
According to Pentagon sources, the Oreshnik is an experimental intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), derived from Russia’s RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). The November 21 incident marked the first time this particular type of missile had been deployed in combat.
Intermediate-range missiles are classified as those with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometers (approximately 310 to 3,400 miles). Prior to the dissolution of a treaty in place since the Soviet era, such weapons had been banned, but the treaty was abandoned by both Washington and Moscow in 2019.
Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate reported that the missile is equipped with six warheads, each containing six submunitions. The structure of these warheads resembles a cluster of hazelnuts, suggesting the possible origin of the missile’s name.
Footage from the attack appeared to depict these six warheads encased in plasma clouds as they descended in flames. While the submunitions released by each warhead were reportedly not armed, their high kinetic energy could inflict damage comparable to tons of explosives.
Putin claimed the Oreshnik’s destructive power is so significant that deploying multiple missiles even with conventional warheads could approach the impact of a nuclear explosion. He further suggested that it was capable of demolishing underground bunkers located “three, four, or more floors deep,” issuing stern warnings about potential targets in Kyiv.
In the aftermath of the attack, representatives from Ukraine’s Security Service showed remnants of the missile to the press — burnt and twisted metal alongside frayed wires — at the Pivdenmash facility in Dnipro, which manufactured missiles during the period of Soviet control over Ukraine. Fortunately, there were no reported casualties from the strike, although authorities have not detailed the extent of the damage at the plant. Reports indicate the missile was launched from the 4th Missile Test Range in Russia’s Astrakhan region, located on the Caspian Sea.
What types of missiles has Russia deployed?
Since the onset of its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has unleashed an array of missiles upon Ukrainian territories, but none matched the Oreshnik’s range and firepower.
Among these missiles were subsonic long-range cruise missiles capable of carrying around 500 kilograms (about 1,100 pounds) of explosives, sufficient to cause substantial damage to Ukraine’s power grid and critical infrastructures. These jet-propelled cruise missiles can travel up to 2,500 kilometers (approximately 1,550 miles), allowing them to strike anywhere in Ukraine.
Additionally, Russia has utilized swarms of inexpensive drones designed in Iran that can only carry approximately 50 kilograms (110 pounds) of explosives. Despite their relative ease of interception, Russia employs large numbers simultaneously to overwhelm Ukrainian defensive measures and distract from concurrently launched cruise missiles.
For high-priority targets, forces have deployed faster, more lethal munitions like the Iskander ground-launched short-range ballistic missile, which can hit targets 500 kilometers (about 310 miles) away.
Moscow has also relied on the hypersonic Kinzhal air-launched ballistic missile, capable of reaching Mach 10 briefly while maneuvering in flight to avoid air defense systems, although Ukraine claims to have intercepted some of these missiles.
The Oreshnik presents even greater challenges for interception compared to the Kinzhal and possesses the capability to inflict more significant damage due to its multiple high-energy warheads.
What implications does Putin convey with the Oreshnik?
Putin framed the development and use of the Oreshnik as a direct response to the support provided by the U.S. and U.K., which has allowed Ukraine to utilize longer-range weaponry against Russia. He characterized this assistance as adding “elements of a global character” to the ongoing conflict.
“We believe that we have the right to target the military assets of countries that allow their weapons to be used against us,” he stated.
Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, declared that the Oreshnik could strike European targets within minutes, causing “catastrophic” consequences, stating, “Bomb shelters will not save you,” on his social media platform.
Russian state media praised the Oreshnik, asserting it could reach an air base in Poland in just 11 minutes and NATO headquarters in Brussels in 17 minutes. Across the nation, merchandise such as T-shirts featuring images of Putin alongside the Oreshnik has become popular, with reports of a couple who intended to name their child after the missile.
Military analyst Mathieu Boulègue of Chatham House in the U.K. noted that while the Oreshnik may not fundamentally change the dynamics on the battlefield, “in the realm of psychological warfare, it serves its purpose well” by fueling the Kremlin’s narrative of instilling fear among Western nations.
The missile strike on November 21 occurred shortly after Putin revised Russia’s nuclear doctrine, which now lowers the threshold for potential nuclear weapon deployment. This newly adjusted doctrine allows for Moscow to contemplate a nuclear response even in circumstances where it suffers a conventional attack from a nation supported by nuclear capabilities.
The launch of the Oreshnik signifies Moscow’s reaction to the longer-range Western weaponry used against it, sending a clear message to Ukraine and President-elect Donald Trump that Russia would persist in achieving its objectives, independent of the support offered to Kyiv, as observed by James J. Townsend, a senior fellow at the Center for New American Security.
“This is a profound message,” Townsend stated, emphasizing the seriousness with which Russia views the Biden administration’s actions and their displeasure regarding this assistance.
Putin’s warnings concerning possible strikes on NATO assets echo calls from Russian hard-liners advocating for such measures to compel allies of Ukraine to reconsider their support.
Differing from other Russian conventional weaponry with restricted ranges, the Oreshnik offers new potential for launching significant conventional strikes anywhere in Europe, providing the Kremlin with an alternative escalation method without resorting to its nuclear arsenal. As the missile heads toward its target, it remains unclear whether it carries a nuclear or conventional payload.
“The enemy must recognize our readiness to take decisive actions, targeting NATO territories with conventional weaponry as a first step,” political analyst Sergei Karaganov, who advises the Kremlin, stated. “Simultaneously, we inform them that if they react in an escalatory manner, we may respond with a nuclear strike subsequently.”