The Russian president with which he hit Ukraine a day earlier and will begin serial production of the new weapon system.
Putin, in televised remarks, said the missile could not be intercepted by the enemy.
“I will add that there is no countermeasure to such a missile, no means of intercepting it, in the world today. And I will emphasize once again that we will continue to test this newer system. It is necessary to establish serial production,” he said.
Russia: What is the Oreshnik missile?
The “Oreshnik” hypersonic ballistic missile, which means “Hazelnut” in Russian, is the new nuclear-capable Russian missile that Russia recently used against Ukraine.
The missile launch from Moscow, as confirmed by President Vladimir Putin, marks a serious escalation in Russia’s military actions in the conflict.
Technical Characteristics:
- Range: 5,000 km, allowing Russia to hit most of Europe and the west coast of the United States.
- Speed: It travels at 10 times the speed of sound, which makes the missile very difficult to intercept.
- Heads: It can carry 6-8 conventional or nuclear warheads, which are able to hit different targets simultaneously.
What is Russia’s nuclear doctrine?
Russia’s nuclear doctrine was signed by Putin in 2020 and is a “blueprint” for when the government can use its nuclear arsenal.
Since 2022, when Russia also invaded Ukrainian territory, the Kremlin has repeatedly threatened the West with the use of nuclear weapons – which, however, has not stopped Kiev’s allies from sending billions of euros worth of equipment and advanced weapons systems to Ukraine.
The renewed nuclear doctrine describes nuclear weapons as a “means of deterrence”, while noting that their use is an “extreme and necessary measure”.
It predicts, at the same time, that Russia “makes all necessary efforts to reduce the nuclear threat and prevent the deterioration of interstate relations that could cause military conflicts, including nuclear ones.”
Nuclear deterrence aims to ensure the “sovereignty and integrity of the state”, to deter a potential enemy or “in the event of a military conflict, to prevent the escalation of hostilities and to suspend them under conditions acceptable to the Russian Federation”, as it typically states document.
The West is worried
The West is no longer hiding its deep concern following Vladimir Putin’s review of Moscow’s nuclear doctrine on Tuesday.
Skynews investigates Moscow’s intentions in its analysis after Ukraine’s attack on Russian territory with American ATCMS missiles and the change in nuclear doctrine.
“So what will Russia do now? Will Vladimir Putin really reach the red button?’ the analyst wonders. And he continues: “Theoretically, it could. After approving changes to Russia’s nuclear doctrine earlier today, he now has that option. In a thinly veiled warning to the West, he lowered the threshold for a nuclear strike, allowing Moscow to respond with nukes if attacked by any state even if it uses conventional weapons. This includes missiles, aircraft, and even drones.
Moscow also considers an attack on its territory by a non-nuclear power (Ukraine) backed by a nuclear power (US) as a joint attack. This is not the first time we have heard these threats. And now, after months and after weighing them up enough, Washington is finally responding to Moscow’s bluff.”
