President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia had launched a new hypersonic medium-range ballistic missile, named “Oreshnik,” in response to Ukraine’s use of U.S. and British missiles against Russia. The missile, which Putin described as traveling at ten times the speed of sound and being capable of carrying multiple warheads, was aimed at a defense enterprise in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro. The city is known for the missile and space rocket company Pivdenmash.
The “Oreshnik” missile has a range of 5,000 km, allowing Russia to target most of Europe and the west coast of the United States. It is believed to have multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles, making it capable of striking different targets simultaneously. Russian military expert Anatoly Matviychuk suggested that the missile could carry six to eight conventional or nuclear warheads.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has condemned the Russian attack, with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy calling it a clear escalation. The United States denied claims that Russia fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) at Dnipro but acknowledged that the missile was based on the RS-26 Rubezh ICBM design. The RS-26 is a solid-fueled, road-mobile ballistic missile that entered development in 2008.
The development of these missiles comes after the United States formally withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Russia in 2019, citing Russian violations. The escalating tensions between Russia and Ukraine raise concerns about the potential for a global conflict.
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