The president of , , ordered the serial production of the new Russian hypersonic missile, nicknamed Oreshnik. , 21, against a Ukrainian military factory, and surprised by its ability to carry more than one warhead and hit multiple targets.
In a meeting with military authorities this Friday, the 22nd, Putin described its use in Ukraine as successful and said that 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 (“Hazelnut” in Russian) missile, which travels at a speed ten times the speed of sound.
The Russian leader had already spoken about the Oreshnik this Thursday, after Ukraine accused Russia of launching an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), a long-range weapon capable of carrying multiple nuclear warheads. In a TV speech, Putin said it was a new medium-range missile and that the decision to use it was a response to the use of US and UK weapons in Ukraine attacks carried out inside Russian territory.
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This Friday, he praised Russian scientists and the military and said that Oreshnik is “vital” for the country. “We have to start series production. The decision (…) has already been taken”, he declared. “The Oreshnik system is not a strategic weapon, in any case, it is not an intercontinental ballistic missile, it is not a means of mass destruction, including because it is also a high-precision weapon,” he added.
Videos of the Russian attack in Ukraine 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 warheads used were not nuclear but traditional. The damage caused by them is caused by the hypersonic speed at which they hit the ground.
According to the Kremlin, Western authorities were warned about the Oreshnik test before the attack through nuclear threat deterrence channels, which give the warning automatically. Because of the multiple warheads, Ukraine even accused Russia of carrying out an attack with the ICBM, which can carry nuclear warheads. Western authorities immediately denied this.
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In the meeting with the military, Putin also stated that no other country currently has a weapon similar to the Oreshnik. “No one in the world has these weapons yet. Yes, sooner or later it will appear in other leading countries, we know what developments are being carried out. But it will be tomorrow, or in a year, or in two. And we have this system today. And that’s important,” he declared.
Nuclear doctrine
The use of intercontinental ballistic missiles is much more serious than other types of weapons due to the nuclear warheads that these missiles 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.
On Tuesday the 19th, Ukraine fired six US-made ATACMS missiles at the Russian region of Bryansk. The launch took place days after US President Joe Biden allowed the use of US-made long-range missiles in attacks inside Russian territory.
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Also on November 19, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a review of Russian nuclear doctrine that expands the circumstances under which Moscow can launch an atomic attack against Ukraine and NATO. The Russian leader declared that an attack with conventional weapons on Russia by any nation that is backed by a nuclear power will be considered a joint attack on his country.
Under the changes, a major attack on Russia with conventional missiles, drones or aircraft could meet the criteria for a nuclear response, as could an attack on Belarus or any critical threat to Russia’s sovereignty.
This Thursday, the 21st, Putin spoke again about the possibility of using weapons against countries that supply weapons for Ukraine to use within Russian territory. “We consider that we have the right to use our weapons against military targets of countries that allow the use of their weapons against our targets,” he said. “In the event of an escalation of aggressive actions, we will respond in an equally decisive and mirrored manner,” he added.
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