“The wreckage of the Oreshnik confirmed suspicions of what the “miracle of technology” of the Russian Federation, which Putin boasted about, really is – The Economist January 24, 12:31 Share: The wreckage of the Russian rocket, which Russian dictator Vladimir Putin calls the Oreshnik (Photo: REUTERS/Valentyn Oghirenko) Charred fragments of the Russian the Oreshnyk missiles, which the Russian occupiers launched over Ukraine in November 2024, testify to that it is only an upgraded version of a medium-range ballistic missile”, — write on: ua.news
The wreckage of the Russian missile that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin calls the Nutcracker (Photo: REUTERS/Valentyn Oghirenko)
Charred fragments of the Russian Oreshnyk missile, which the Russian occupiers launched over Ukraine in November 2024, indicate that it is only a modernized version of the RS-26 Rubezh medium-range ballistic missile.
The Economist writes about this with reference to the experts of the Kyiv Research Institute of Forensic Science, where they study the wreckage of Russian missiles and drones.
Since the aggressor country Russia launched Oreshnyk over Ukraine, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has threatened to repeat the shelling of Kyiv and boasts that Ukrainian air defense will not be able to withstand this missile, The Economist writes.
Putin calls “hypersonic” Oreshnyk is a new miracle of Russian technology, but the wreckage of the rocket indicates otherwise, the publication emphasizes.
One part dates from 2017, the other, inside one of the warheads of a Russian missile, was made in 2016.
“This confirms suspicions that Oreshnyk is nothing more than a modernized version of an older model, the RS-26 Rubezh medium-range ballistic missile,” the article emphasizes.
The author of the publication points out that Oreshnyk is not so much a serious threat as a demonstration of strength. It was created with a view to the audience of the West and with the purpose of reminding about the nuclear potential of Russia.
Hit Ukraine with Oreshnyk missile – what is known
On November 21, 2024, Russia first attacked Ukraine with an Oreshnyk intercontinental ballistic missile. It flew to the Dnipro and caused minor damage. A number of mass media wrote that Russia struck the Dnipro on November 21 with a modification of the RS-26 Rubezh missile, which did not have a warhead.
On the same day, Putin called the use of a ballistic missile in non-nuclear hypersonic equipment “in response to attacks by British and American weapons.”
According to the GUR, on November 21, the aggressor country Russia launched a ballistic missile from the Kedr complex over the Dnipro.
On November 28, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin publicly threatened to strike “decision-making centers” in Kyiv with Oreshnyk missiles.
ISW analyzed that Putin, with loud statements about the Oreshnik ballistic missile, is probably looking for a way to move away from his nuclear threats, which he is not ready to fulfill.
On December 16, the Russian dictator announced that serial production of the Oreshnyk medium-range ballistic missile would begin in the near future.
In January 2025, Agentstvo.Novosti drew attention to the fact that the missile system Hazelnut,which Putin presented as a response to strikes by Western long-range weapons on the territory of the Russian Federation, gradually ceased to be mentioned in the Kremlin.
Propagandists stopped talking about Oreshnyk even during massive attacks by Ukrainian drones using Western missiles.