President Vladimir Putin declared Friday that Russia would continue combat testing its new Oreshnik hypersonic missile and maintains a ready stockpile, escalating tensions following the weapon’s first combat use against Ukraine amid growing international concern over its capabilities.
“We will continue these tests, including in combat conditions, depending on the situation and the nature of the security threats that are created for Russia,” Putin told defense officials and missile developers in televised comments, one day after the missile’s debut strike. He emphasized that Russia already possesses “a stock of such products, a stock of such systems ready for use.”
The weapon, whose name means “hazel tree” in Russian, represents a significant technological advance, carrying multiple warheads capable of simultaneously striking different targets — a capability previously associated with nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles. Ukrainian intelligence reported the missile reached speeds exceeding 13,000 kilometers per hour (8,000 mph) and required 15 minutes to reach its target.
U.S. officials, however, downplayed Russia’s capabilities, describing the Oreshnik as an experimental weapon with limited availability for regular battlefield deployment. The intermediate-range missile, capable of striking targets 3,000-5,500 kilometers away, could theoretically reach any point in Europe or the western United States from Russian territory.
Putin justified the missile’s deployment as a response to Ukraine’s use of U.S. ballistic missiles and British cruise missiles against Russian targets. “I will add that there is no countermeasure to such a missile, no means of intercepting it, in the world today,” he asserted, adding that its conventional warheads could match the impact of nuclear weapons “when used in a massive group and in combination with other high-precision long-range systems.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded by announcing immediate consultations with Western partners about new air defense systems. “When someone starts using other countries not only for terror, but also for testing their new missiles through acts of terror, then this is clearly an international crime,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly address, warning that “‘comrade’ Putin will keep trying to intimidate us.”
The missile’s debut follows Putin’s Tuesday approval of policy changes lowering the threshold for nuclear weapons use in response to conventional attacks. The Kremlin characterized the Oreshnik strike as a warning to the West against taking “reckless” actions supporting Ukraine.
The escalation occurs as both sides increasingly employ more sophisticated weapons against each other’s territory. Moscow argues that Western approval for Ukraine to conduct deep strikes into Russia effectively makes NATO countries direct participants in the conflict.
