Russian President Vladimir Putin said on December 17 that the new medium-range missile system, the Oreshnik hypersonic missile, will be put into combat this year, after completing mass production. The statement was made at a meeting with officials of the Russian Ministry of Defense.
According to President Putin, putting Oreshnik on duty is part of Russia's efforts to enhance its strategic deterrence capabilities. He stressed that the country's nuclear power has been modernized to 92%, affirming that no other nuclear power has achieved the same rate.
During the same meeting, President Putin also mentioned recent tests of the Burevestnik missile and the Poseidon tractor. He described them as unique, endless weapons using nuclear engines that have played a role in maintaining strategic security balance for decades. Russia will continue to improve and improve these two systems.
The Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile missile was first used by Russia in an airstrike in the city of Dnipro, central Ukraine, in November 2024.
Russian officials said the Oreshnik missile reached more than 10 times the speed of sound, equivalent to nearly 11,000 km/h. Each bullet also applies MIRV technology, allowing it to carry up to 36 warheads to attack independent targets.
President Putin has affirmed that Western air defense systems cannot intercept the Oreshnik. Ukrainian military commander Oleksandr Syrsky said that very few missile shields in the world are capable of dealing with this type of weapon and admitted that Ukraine does not possess equivalent capabilities.
President Putin said that Russia has begun mass production of Oreshnik missiles and the army has received the first attack. He stressed that Moscow prioritizes diplomatic measures to eliminate the root causes of the conflict, but is ready to use military measures if the dialogue fails to produce results.
The Russian leader continued to believe that Ukraine's desire to join NATO and the alliance's expansion to the east were the underlying causes of the conflict.
He also accused the West, including former US President Joe Biden's administration, of contributing to the conflict. President Putin said that the US has expressed its readiness for dialogue and Moscow is in talks with Washington, and expressed hope that Europe will return to the negotiation table.
