Putin orders large-scale production of hypersonic missile used in Ukraine

The president of Vladimir Putin, ordered this Friday (22) more tests and the series production of the new Oreshnik hypersonic missile, with nuclear capacity. The weapon was used for the first time on Thursday against a military factory in Ukraine. In a meeting with military officials, Putin described the use of the missile as “successful” and said the new weapon shows Russia’s military superiority in the conflict. According to him, no defense system in operation is capable of intercepting the Oreshnik, which travels at ten times the speed of sound.

Putin spoke for the first time about the Oreshnik on Thursday (21) after Ukraine accused Russia of launching an intercontinental missile (ICBM), a long-range weapon capable of carrying multiple nuclear warheads. In a speech on TV, the Russian president confirmed that it was a new missile and the decision to use it was a response to the use of US and UK weapons in attacks from Ukraine inside Russian territory.

Yesterday, praised Russian scientists and military personnel and said Oreshnik is “undetectable” by Russia’s enemies. “We have to start series production. The decision has already been made,” he said. “The Oreshnik is not a strategic weapon, it is not an intercontinental ballistic missile, it is not a means of mass destruction. It is a high-precision weapon.” Videos of the Russian attack with the Oreshnik show that the weapon is capable of hitting more than one target in the same attack. This happens due to the missile’s ability to carry more than one warhead, similar to the ICBM. According to Putin, the charges used in Dnipro were not nuclear, but common. The damage is caused by the hypersonic speed at which they hit the ground.

Alert

According to the Kremlin, Western authorities were warned about the Oreshnik test before the attack through nuclear threat deterrence channels, which alert automatically. Because of the multiple warheads, Ukraine even accused Russia of carrying out an ICBM attack, which was dismissed by Western authorities. The Ukrainians claimed that the Russian missile that hit Dnipro reached a maximum speed of more than 13,000 km/h and took about 15 minutes to reach its target from launch. Ukrainian President Volodmir Zelensky said yesterday that the use of the ballistic missile experimental trial by Russia represents “a clear and severe escalation” in the war and called for strong global condemnation, after NATO accused Putin of trying to “terrorize” civilians and intimidate allied countries of Ukrainians. In the meeting with the Russian military, Putin stated that no other country has a weapon similar to the Oreshnik. “No one has these weapons yet. However, sooner or later it will appear in other countries. We know what developments are being made. But it will be in a year or two. And we have this system today. And that’s important.”

Nuclear threat

The use of intercontinental ballistic missiles is much more serious than other weapons due to the nuclear warheads they can carry. The launch of these weapons would be a reminder of Russia’s nuclear capabilities and a sign of a possible further escalation in the war. Increasingly on the defensive, Ukraine had been asking the US for permission to use American weapons inside Russia. President Joe Biden, assessing the imminent risks with Donald Trump’s inauguration in January, gave the green light last week. The move prompted Putin to alter Russia’s nuclear doctrine, expanding the circumstances under which he can launch an atomic attack. Ukraine ignored the threat and fired six ATACMS missiles at Bryansk on Tuesday (19) – all intercepted (WITH INTERNATIONAL AGENCIES)

*With information from Estadão Conteúdo
Posted by Victor Oliveira