The German newspaper Bild reported on December 27 that according to an internal report from the German Foreign Ministry, the German military (Bundeswehr) currently has no weapons capable of dealing with Russia's advanced hypersonic missiles. "The Patriot system is not suitable for countering ballistic missiles like the Oreshnik. Interception is just a matter of luck," the document said.
The reason why Oreshnik is so dangerous is said to be due to its extremely fast speed, high maneuverability and detachable warhead, making interception almost impossible.
Bild newspaper revealed that the German Foreign Ministry requested an internal analysis of ballistic missile defense capabilities, assigning the Bundeswehr liaison officer at the Foreign Ministry to the task, in coordination with air defense experts at the Ministry of Defense.
A military expert said the move was not motivated by any specific reason, such as an upcoming high-level visit. "This fact is well known to the Ministry of Defense and appropriate measures have been taken for a long time," the expert told Bild.
A German Foreign Ministry spokesman declined to comment.
On November 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the first deployment of the Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile against the Yuzhmash defense plant in the city of Dnieper, Ukraine. The launch was in response to attacks by Ukraine on targets in Russia's Kursk and Bryansk provinces using ATACMS and Storm Shadow missiles from the United States and the United Kingdom.
With a range of up to 5,000 km and the ability to be "unstoppable", Oreshnik is considered a strategic card in Russia's hands. President Putin later emphasized that Moscow is ready to use Oreshnik again if necessary, but will not make hasty decisions.
President Putin also noted that Russia is testing a number of systems similar to Oreshnik; these systems have no analogues in the world today. In the case of group use, such a missile strike can be compared to the use of nuclear weapons, but they are not weapons of mass destruction.
Bild's article not only highlights weaknesses in Germany's defenses, but also raises big questions about the preparedness of NATO as a whole to face the threat from modern Russian weapons systems.
