President Vladimir Putin has confirmed the formal deployment of Russia’s new medium-range ballistic missile system, the “Oreshnik”, which features hypersonic capabilities and both nuclear and conventional strike potential. The weapon was first publicly revealed following a precision strike in Dnipro in November 2024.
Advanced Missile Born in 'New Russia'
The Oreshnik missile is not a modernization of legacy Soviet systems but, according to Putin, “the result of work carried out under the conditions of a new Russia, based on modern and cutting-edge technologies.” On November 21, 2024, the president announced that an Oreshnik missile, equipped with a non-nuclear hypersonic warhead, had struck a Ukrainian defense industry facility in Dnipro. The following day, he revealed that Russia had a stockpile of such missiles ready for use and that mass production was underway.
Specifications and Tactical Capabilities
According to government data from Obyasnyaem.rf, the Oreshnik has a maximum range of 5,500 km, can travel at speeds of up to Mach 10 (roughly 12,400 km/h or 3 km/s), and can carry a warhead weighing up to 1.5 tons. When equipped with a nuclear payload, it can deliver up to 900 kilotons — equivalent to 45 Hiroshima bombs.
“Its destructive power is comparable to that of nuclear weapons,” Putin declared at the CSTO summit on November 28, referencing the rocket’s ability to strike deeply buried and heavily fortified targets.
The missile’s warhead can deploy dozens of maneuverable reentry vehicles, all traveling at hypersonic speeds. Russia claims that the weapon is interceptable only during the initial launch phase, which is why it is launched from the Kapustin Yar range in the Astrakhan region. Once the warheads reach terminal velocity, interception is reportedly impossible.
Rapid Strike Timelines Against NATO Targets
The estimated flight times from launch to key NATO sites are as follows:
- Redzikowo (Poland, US missile defense base): 11 minutes
- Ramstein Air Base (Germany): 15 minutes
- NATO Headquarters (Brussels): 17 minutes
Combat Deployment and Industrial Production
The first combat use of the Oreshnik occurred on November 21, 2024, targeting rocket production facilities in Dnipro (formerly Dnipropetrovsk). The strike was portrayed as a retaliation for Ukrainian attacks using ATACMS and Storm Shadow missiles on Russian territory.
Putin officially announced the start of serial production on November 22, and reiterated on November 28 that multiple missiles were already combat-ready. On December 6, he stated that Russia would deploy the Oreshnik system in Belarus by the second half of 2025. Though the complex will be part of Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces, targeting decisions will be made by Minsk.
“The first serial complex has been produced and is already in service. The series is now operational,” Putin announced on August 1, 2025.
