Ukraine announced the destruction of one of three Russian Oresnik missiles on its territory. Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for sanctions against 25 companies involved in production.
In a special operation in the summer of 2023, Ukraine destroyed the Oreshnik (Lieska) medium-range ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead in Russia, the director of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) Vasyľ Malyuk said on Friday. According to its claims, Russia used this missile for the first time in an attack on Ukraine in November 2024. TASR informs about this according to a Reuters report.
Maliuk clarified that it was a joint operation of the SBU, the Ukrainian Military Secret Service (HUR) and foreign intelligence services. According to him, the operation was 100% successful. “We can say briefly and clearly that one of the three Oresnik missiles was successfully destroyed on their (Russian) territory near Kapustin Yar,” Maluk said at a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other officials. Maliuk did not give any details about this operation.
Reuters reports that it could not verify this claim. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced in November 2024 that Russia had hit the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro with a new medium-range Oreshnik missile, more than a year after Ukraine reportedly destroyed one of those missiles.
They call for sanctions for producers
Ukrainian intelligence officials say Russia produced three Oreshnik missiles this year and planned to double their annual production to six. According to Zelensky, 25 companies participate in the production of these missiles. The Ukrainian president urged Western allies to impose sanctions on these companies.
Putin claims that Orešnik is impossible to capture and even without a nuclear warhead – only with its kinetic energy – it can, for example, penetrate bunkers located at great depths. However, Western experts have expressed doubts about these claims, reports Reuters. In June of this year, the head of the Kremlin announced that Russia was increasing the production of hazelnuts, but did not give details.
In September, Russia and Belarus held joint Zapad military exercises, during which Belarus practiced deploying Orešnik ballistic missiles during joint maneuvers. This week, Belarus – Russia’s ally – confirmed that it will deploy the Oresnik missile system on its territory bordering Ukraine in December.
