Speaking at the Technologies of the Future” forum in Moscow on Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin continued to claim that the Oreshnik missile represented a development in missile technology unmatched anywhere else. He claimed that the use of new materials developed by Rosatom, Russia’s nuclear energy corporation, allowed its warheads to withstand temperatures equivalent to the surface of the sun.
During his speech Putin said development of the system began in the 1980s but it is only recently that Russian scientists have produced materials capable of putting the concept into practice. He said this was yet another example of how Russian innovation was giving the country the technological edge over its enemies.
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The first, and currently only confirmed, use of the Oreshnik missile was during an attack aimed at the Pivdenmash defense facility in Dnipro, Ukraine on Nov. 21, which Moscow said was in retaliation for Ukraine’s use of US-supplied ATACMS and British Storm Shadow missiles on Russian territory.
It was launched from the Kapustin Yar ballistic missile base in the Astrakhan region and reportedly carried a six “multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV)” warheads payload that was spread over the target area.
The attack resulted in limited physical damage as the warheads were assessed as being “inert” indicating that the use of the Oreshnik was intended as a political statement of intent rather than for any substantial military outcome – despite Russia’s accompanying rhetoric.
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Putin said following the attack: “There are currently no ways of countering this weapon. The missiles attack targets at a speed of Mach 10 [12,300 kph / 7,700 mph]… We are ready for any developments. If anyone still doubts this, they shouldn’t.”
Other Russian sources said the missile’s range was 5,000 kilometers (3,100 miles), which would allow to strike most of Europe and the west coast of the United States from its own territory.
Reuters quoted Anatoly Matviychuk, a Russian military expert, as saying, “It can carry six to eight conventional or nuclear warheads and is probably already in service, offering unmatched versatility and power.”
He also echoed Putin’s words: “Its MIRV design allows it to hit multiple targets with precision, and the materials used in its warheads endure temperatures that render it a game-changer.”
The US and Ukraine remained more skeptical about Moscow’s claims.
The Pentagon’s Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said the missile that Russia fired was a modification of the RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), adjusted to make it fit the medium range ballistic missile (MRBM) definition to avoid breaching current missile agreements. Washington said it had been notified of the launch through nuclear risk reduction channels.
Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the Middlebury Institute said on his “Arms Control Wonk” podcast:“This is a new capability, but not a dramatic change in conventional weapons development. It’s a series of old technologies put together in a new way. The sheer speed of reentry causes damage, even if the warhead is non-explosive.”
Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky, dismissed Putin’s claims, telling The Guardian, “Putin doesn’t understand military stuff. He’s a guy that people come and show him some cartoon about how the missile will fly, how nobody will be able to shoot it down. He said the same thing many times about their Kinzhal missile, and then it turned out Patriot systems can comfortably shoot it down.”
However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on his official X channel on the day of the attack that this was yet another escalation and a cynical violation of the UN Charter by Russia ignoring international calls to avoid further expansion of the war.
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