Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that a new intermediate-range ultra-high speed ballistic missile system, which was recently battle-tested in Ukraine, has been officially commissioned into the Russian Armed Forces and will continue to be evaluated in combat scenarios.
“We will continue these trials, including in combat environment, depending on the situation and security threats to Russia,” Putin said, per Tass.
“We will determine the targets during further tests of our advanced missile systems based on the threats to the security of the Russian Federation,” Putin said. “We consider ourselves entitled to use our weapons against military facilities of those countries that allow to use their weapons against our facilities, and in case of an escalation of aggressive actions, we will respond decisively and in mirror-like manner.”
Putin also said during Friday’s meeting at the Kremlin that the Oreshnik missile was “neither an intercontinental ballistic missile nor a weapon of mass destruction.” Such strategic weapon systems are capable of carrying nuclear warheads of the type that are normally associated with strategic deterrence and governed by international treaties like the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), set to expire in 2026. Putin suspended Russian participation in New START in 2023 due to U.S. support for Ukraine, though U.S. officials have said Moscow has continued to abide by the caps on warheads, missiles, and bombers imposed by the treaty, as has Washington.
Other countries are also developing intermediate- and shorter-range hypersonic missile systems, according to Putin, who said he believes only Russia has them ready to deploy. Further, the Russian leader claimed that, while the new missile is not a strategic weapon, its use could have a similarly devastating impact.
“Due to its strike power, especially in case of massive, group launch, and in combination with other precision long-range systems, which Russia also has, the effect of its use against enemy targets would be comparable to strategic weapons,” Putin said.
At the same meeting, Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces Commander Sergey Karakayev called the Oreshnik “unparalleled” in the world and claimed that it is able to overcome all existing missile defense systems.
“Based on the tasks and the range of this weapon, it can hit targets across entire Europe, which sets it apart from other high-precision long-range weapons,” Karakayev said, hinting that none of Ukraine’s European allies were safe from its threat.
Further, Roscosmos CEO Yury Borisov said at the meeting that Russia’s defense industry has the capacity to modernize 95 percent of the country’s strategic nuclear forces and 82 percent of its aerospace forces with the type of advanced hypersonic strike capability that the Oreshnik system boasts, suggesting that targets across the globe could be targeted.
Trump has vowed to end the war in Ukraine quickly, expressing confidence that he would be able to persuade Putin and Zelenskyy to agree to some form of cease-fire or peace deal.
