Ukraine intercepts Kinzhal missiles flying faster than newly minted Oreshnik — expert Kovalenko

Vladimir Putin's claim about the new Oreshnik missile seems to be aimed at reframing the Dnipro strike as a conventional attack while deflecting nuclear concerns, military expert Oleksandr Kovalenko said on his Telegram channel.

Russian leader recently claimed that a new ballistic missile called Oreshnik was used against Ukraine. This announcement raised questions among experts.

According to Kovalenko, there has been no prior mention of a missile named Oreshnik in Russian defense developments. 

Putin claims that this missile can strike targets at a speed of Mach 10 (2.5-3 kilometers per second) and is allegedly impervious to modern air and missile defense systems, including those being developed in Europe and the United States. Such claims echo past statements about hypersonic weapons like the Kinzhal and Zircon.

The need for a new hypersonic missile, given the existence of similar systems, remains unclear. For instance, the Kinzhal (Kh-47M2) also achieves Mach 10 speeds but has been successfully intercepted by systems like Patriot and SAMP/T.

Kovalenko suggests this announcement may serve to downplay the significance of a recent missile strike on Dnipro. Russian information channels initially framed the strike as involving a medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) rather than an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), likely to avoid associations with nuclear weapons. Putin’s Oreshnik narrative appears to be a further attempt to frame the missile as a conventional, non-nuclear weapon, despite its advanced capabilities.

This development may indicate Kremlin efforts to manage the fallout of the strike, particularly as investigations may soon confirm the exact weapon used. For now, the Oreshnik remains an enigma, with experts awaiting further details or evidence of its existence.

• Russian leader Vladimir Putin claims that Russia tested a medium-range Oreshnik ballistic missile during an attack on Ukraine's Dnipro on November 21.