Russia's Oreshnik missile: Looming threat over Ukraine and NATO
Sabrina Singh, the deputy Pentagon spokesperson, warns that in the coming days, the Russians might again use the experimental Oreshnik ballistic missile to attack Ukraine. Let's remind ourselves what is known about this weapon, which the Kremlin is using to intimidate not only Ukraine but also all of NATO.
"It's possible that Russia could do it in the coming days. I don't have an exact date for you," said Singh, quoted by the Unian agency.
Russia may use Oreshnik again
For the first time, the Oreshnik ballistic missile was used by the Russians on November 21 when it fell on Dnipro. Before this, the world hadn't heard of this weapon, which Vladimir Putin presented after the attack as a "weapon without equal in the world." At the beginning of December, it resurfaced. The leaders of Russia and Belarus then signed a mutual security guarantee agreement in Minsk. As a result, Belarus is also set to receive Oreshnik ballistic missiles from Russia.
"Since we have today signed an agreement on security guarantees using all available forces and means, I consider the deployment of such systems as the Oreshnik on the territory of the Republic of Belarus to be feasible," said Putin, whose words were reported by agencies including Reuters.
The deputy Pentagon spokesperson believes that a potential renewed attack using Oreshnik on Ukraine won't change the overall situation on the front and the course of the war. Singh believes that in this way, the Russians would want to cause as much local damage and loss to Ukraine as possible and attempt again to create a deterrent effect.
Oreshnik: What is known about this Russian weapon?
The exact specifications of the new Russian missile remain a mystery. However, Col. Remigiusz Zieliński, former commander of the Artillery and Armament Training Center in Toruń (Poland), explained in an interview with WP Tech that it is most likely a medium-range ballistic missile (KEDR complex) with MIRV warheads.
Such weapons are created with the purpose of targeting surface objectives, primarily with nuclear warheads (though in the first attack, the Russians didn't use combat warheads). It's estimated that Oreshnik can move at speeds of up to about 12,348 km/h (10 Mach), which poses a problem for the vast majority of air defence systems.
Analysts at Defence Express also emphasize that it is a weapon with many secrets, which, although dangerous, seems to be overrated by the Kremlin and mistakenly portrayed as a "Wunderwaffe." It may have been developed based on the RS-26 Rubezh missile, and the concerns associated with it include not only its specifications but also the sense and scale of mass production that the Russians might afford.
