Putin makes another statement about Oreshnik missile
Photo: Vladimir Putin, Russian President (kremlin.ru)
A day after the attack on Dnipro, Russian President Vladimir Putin made a new statement about the Russian ballistic missile Oreshnik. Putin reiterated that this is the latest Russian development and added that Russia has a stockpile of such missiles, according to Putin's address to the leadership of the Defense Ministry and representatives of the military-industrial complex, which was distributed by the Russian media.
According to Putin, the Oreshnik missile is a ballistic missile equipped with a non-nuclear hypersonic payload that is not a modernization of old Soviet systems. According to Putin, this missile was created on the basis of “the latest technologies.”
Putin claims that Russia has a stockpile of such missiles. However, it is worth noting that the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine claimed that the Russian army has about a dozen such missiles in its arsenal.
Putin also boasted that the Oreshnik missile, when used in mass alongside other missiles and strike systems, would supposedly be comparable to strategic weapons, though he emphasized that this missile is "high-precision" rather than a weapon of mass destruction.
Moreover, Putin claimed that such a missile as the Oreshnik is currently available only in Russia but in the future it may appear in other countries. Additionally, he stated that no systems capable of intercepting this missile exist worldwide, not just in Ukraine.
Towards the end of his statement, Putin added that after completing tests, the Oreshnik could be deployed to Syria, where Russian military forces are stationed.
A new Russian missile strike on Dnipro
On Thursday, November 21, the Russian army struck Dnipro with a new type of missile. Initially, it was believed that an intercontinental missile had been used for the attack, but later, Putin stated that it was the Oreshnik medium-range ballistic missile.
On Friday, November 22, the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence stated that the strike on Dnipro was carried out with the Kedr missile system. As explained later by Intelligence Chief Kyrylo Budanov, Oreshnik is a code name for the Kedr system.
Read more about this Russian missile and why Russia hit Ukraine with it in the material by RBC-Ukraine.
