Oreshnik missile used by Russia was made at least 5 years ago - Defense Express expert

He shared this information during an Espreso TV broadcast.

"When it comes to the so-called Oreshnik, the Defense Express team received intriguing information that one of the key components of this missile, specifically an element of its control system, was manufactured back in 2017. Given the specificity of this component, it couldn't have been sitting unused in storage. If we consider the worst-case scenario, this means the missile used in the Dnipro attack was assembled as early as 2017. In an optimistic scenario, it may have been assembled in 2019, though even this optimism is limited," Kyrychevskyi explained.

According to him, Russia claims the missile is a new development, but in reality, it is so old that it was made at least five years ago, just waiting for its moment. It should be noted that in 2017, Western partners were not particularly concerned about Russia’s missile development capabilities, even though Russia openly prepared missiles like the RS-26 Rubezh, which has a range of 2,000-6,000 km, violating the INF Treaty (Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty between the USSR and the USA).

Regarding the Oreshnik components, Kyrychevskyi said that specific orders are placed for such complex elements when corresponding missiles are being developed. 

"Experts generally agree that the Oreshnik missile is likely based on the RS-26 Rubezh missile, which Russia had been working on long before 2017. It is possible that Russia officially shelved the Rubezh project in 2017, only to revive it in 2023 and present the old missile as a new development. This does not mean Russia has been mass-producing intermediate-range ballistic missiles over the years. Instead, it indicates that work on the Oreshnik has spanned at least two five-year cycles, as official data on the RS-26 Rubezh states development began as early as 2011," he said.

Kyrychevskyi concluded that the development of Oreshnik in Russia may have taken 15 years, and now they are attempting to present this missile as a new creation.

• Russian leader Vladimir Putin stated that on November 21, Russia tested the intermediate-range ballistic missile Oreshnik during an attack on Dnipro. He added that Moscow would "respond to escalation."
• According to Ukrainian Intelligence, Russia struck Dnipro with a Kedr ballistic missile carrying 36 submunitions. Earlier, Ukrainian officials speculated that Russia might have used the RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile, while Putin claimed it was the Oreshnik intermediate-range missile.