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Russia reportedly used its hypersonic Oreshnik ballistic missile during a large-scale drone and missile attack on Ukraine, marking the third reported use of the weapon in the ongoing Russia–Ukraine war. The missile is considered one of Russia’s advanced hypersonic strategic weapons and is believed to be linked to the RS-26 Rubezh missile system. The deployment highlights the increasing use of high-speed and difficult-to-intercept missile technologies in modern warfare.

About the Oreshnik Missile

The Oreshnik is a Russian hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear warheads. The term “Oreshnik” means “hazel tree” or “hazelnut tree” in Russian. The missile is designed for rapid long-range strikes against critical military targets and strategic infrastructure.

Key Features of the Missile

One of the major features of the Oreshnik missile is its ability to carry multiple warheads. This allows the missile to strike several targets simultaneously or increase the area of destruction. Such multiple independently targetable warhead capability is generally associated with advanced ballistic missile systems and complicates enemy air defence interception.

Russia claims that the missile can travel at nearly Mach 10, which is about ten times the speed of sound. Due to its hypersonic speed and manoeuvrability, existing missile defence systems find it difficult to detect and intercept the missile effectively.

Strategic Importance:

The missile is reportedly designed to target:

Military infrastructure

Command and control centres

Air bases

Underground bunkers and deeply buried targets

Russia has claimed that the destructive capability of multiple Oreshnik missiles could be comparable to the impact of a nuclear strike, even when using conventional warheads. The development reflects the growing importance of hypersonic weapons in global military competition.

Additional Key Facts

Hypersonic weapons generally travel at speeds greater than Mach 5.

Russia, China, and the United States are currently leading the global race in hypersonic weapon development.

Russia has already developed several hypersonic missile systems such as:

Kinzhal

Avangard

Zircon

The RS-26 Rubezh missile system, linked to Oreshnik, is an intercontinental ballistic missile project developed by Russia.

Hypersonic missiles are difficult to intercept because they combine high speed with manoeuvrable flight paths.

The Russia–Ukraine war began in February 2022 after Russia launched a military invasion of Ukraine.

Important Facts:

Capital of Russia: Moscow

Currency of Russia: Russian Ruble

President of Russia: Vladimir Putin

NATO Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium

Hypersonic Speed: Above Mach 5

Mach Number: Ratio of an object’s speed to the speed of sound