The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on May 24 that in response to attacks by the Ukrainian army on civilian facilities in the Russian Federation, Russian forces launched a large-scale attack with Oreshnik, Iskander, Kinzhal and Zircon missiles targeting Ukrainian military commands.
Russia's large-scale attack on Ukraine used not only Oreshnik, Iskander, Kinzhal and Zircon missiles but also drones.
The locations that Russian weapons targeted in the attack were military command posts, air bases and military industrial production complexes in Ukraine, the statement stated.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, all designated targets were attacked and the targets of the mission were completed.
Russia's Oreshnik missile is a weapon capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Oreshnik's first use in combat was the attack on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro in 2024. Since then, this weapon has become one of the most specially monitored weapon systems.
Russian President Vladimir Putin once described Oreshnik as a modern weapon capable of carrying multiple warheads and moving at supersonic speed.
Russia classifies Oreshnik as a medium-range ballistic missile, capable of attacking targets from 3,000km to 5,500km away. Russian military officials said that this missile is capable of attacking targets throughout most of Europe.
Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko said this missile has also been deployed in Belarus, Russia's ally.
Russian officials said that this missile is capable of carrying nuclear warheads but the first attack on Ukraine uses non-nuclear warheads or fake warheads. Military analysts believe that Oreshnik may eventually be equipped with nuclear warheads.
Mr. Putin declared that the impact of the Oreshnik missile creates extremely high heat and can destroy heavily guarded targets.
According to the Kremlin, Oreshnik moves at a speed of about Mach 10, which is about 10 times the speed of sound. This makes current air defense systems almost impossible to intercept.
The US Department of Defense describes Oreshnik as a test system based on Russia's RS-26 Rubezh - a mobile land-based intercontinental ballistic missile.
However, Mr. Putin affirmed that Oreshnik is not simply an upgrade from the Soviet era, but a completely modern weapon developed after receiving a order in 2023.
