Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Thursday the deployment of a new intermediate-range ballistic missile, called the “Oreshnik” (Russian for hazelnut tree), in an attack on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro. Putin claimed the missile, which he said flies at ten times the speed of sound, is capable of bypassing U.S. air defense systems and could target any nation supporting Ukraine’s military actions against Russia.
“We believe that we have the right to use our weapons against military facilities of the countries that allow [their weapons] to be used against our facilities,” Putin stated in a televised address. He described the strike as a response to Ukraine’s use of U.S. ATACMS missiles in attacks on Russian regions earlier this week, which reportedly caused a fire at an ammunition depot in Bryansk and injured personnel in Kursk.
The Kremlin said the missile struck a Dnipro missile factory and hinted at further strikes. While initially denying any obligation to warn about the attack, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov later clarified that a 30-minute advance notice had been given. Putin also said Russia would provide warnings before future strikes with the Oreshnik to allow civilian evacuations—a departure from previous practices.
Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh confirmed the deployment of the new missile, describing it as an experimental weapon based on Russia’s RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile. “This was a new type of lethal capability… certainly of concern,” she said, noting that it can carry either conventional or nuclear warheads.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the attack, which wounded two people and damaged a rehabilitation center for people with disabilities. “This is an obvious and serious escalation in the scale and brutality of this war, a cynical violation of the UN Charter,” Zelenskyy said in a Telegram post. He criticized the global community’s muted response, writing, “Putin is very sensitive to this. He is testing you, dear partners. If there is no tough response to Russia’s actions, it means they see that such actions are possible.”
The missile attack comes amidst heightened tensions following Ukraine’s expanded use of U.S. and U.K. longer-range missiles, recently approved by President Joe Biden. Western officials have expressed concern over Russia’s lowering of the threshold for nuclear weapons use, formalized in a new doctrine signed by Putin.
Experts believe the deployment of the Oreshnik serves as a warning to Ukraine and its allies. Matthew Savill of the Royal United Services Institute suggested that Russia is signaling its willingness to escalate further. “This could be nuclear-tipped. Do you really want to take that risk?” he said.
While the attack on Dnipro demonstrates Russia’s military capabilities, analysts believe it is also a strategic message to the West as the war continues to escalate beyond 1,000 days, with both sides suffering heavy losses.
Gary P Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
