Putin Reveals Major Military Secret After Oreshnik Missile Strike on Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has revealed why Russia selected specific targets for strikes using the Oreshnik ballistic missile system, saying the locations allowed military planners to assess the effectiveness of the weapon.

Putin Explains Oreshnik Missile Strike Strategy

Speaking during a meeting with executives of international news agencies at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), Putin said Russia chose targets where it could easily evaluate the results of the strikes.

"I will reveal a very, very big military secret. We simply struck where it was convenient to observe the results. This applies both to Bila Tserkva and to the area in the Donetsk People's Republic,” Putin said, according to RIA Novosti.

The president explained that after the strike on Bila Tserkva, a city near Kyiv, Russian drones entered the area to assess the damage. He said the analysis was important for making future decisions regarding the full-scale operational use of the Oreshnik missile system against designated targets.

Putin also acknowledged that future targets could be located in urban areas.

Since the start of Russia's military operation in Ukraine, Moscow has used the Oreshnik ballistic missile system three times. The first strike took place in November 2024 against a Ukrainian defense-industrial facility in Dnipropetrovsk.

The second use of the missile system became known on January 9, 2026, when Russian forces struck the Lviv State Aviation Repair Plant. The third operation combined Oreshnik missiles with Iskander, Kinzhal, and Zircon missile systems against Ukrainian military command facilities, air bases, and defense industry sites.

Putin Reiterates Russia's Position on the Ukraine Conflict

During the same meeting, Putin argued that the roots of the conflict in Ukraine stem from what he described as the suppression of Russian culture and language following the change of government in Kyiv.

"At the core of the conflict lies the coup d'état in Ukraine and the suppression of everything Russian,” Putin said.

He added that authorities also suppressed a significant portion of the population that refused to recognize the outcome of the political changes that occurred in the country.

President Comments on 2030 Election and Russia's Future

Putin also addressed questions about a possible re-election campaign in 2030. He noted that the Russian Constitution allows him to run for another term but said it was too early to discuss the issue.

"Only the Lord knows whether we will have the health — both me and you and everyone gathered here — to live until tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and even more so to solve the tasks and achieve the goals we set for ourselves,” he said.

The Russian leader stressed that the country currently faces numerous important challenges that require attention and long-term planning.

Commenting on recurring predictions about Russia's defeat or economic decline, Putin quoted American writer Mark Twain.

"Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated,” he said, adding: "One should not mistake wishful thinking for reality.”