Russians Threaten to Strike Kyiv with Oreshnik: We Recall What Kind of Weapon It Is
7 May 2025 12:04
Russian publics are actively spreading information that today’s drone attack on Russian military targets practically means the disruption of Putin’s planned 3-day ceasefire. And in response, Russia will allegedly strike Kyiv with the Oreshnik, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports, citing Russian TV channels.
“According to our sources (you know which ones), the Armed Forces in Moscow are preparing provocations more serious than drone strikes. The response to them will be serious and is likely to directly affect Kyiv… Putin has instructed the Russian Defense Ministry to identify targets in Kyiv for a strike with Oreshniks,
– russian propagandists write.
This morning, unidentified drones launched a massive attack on military facilities in various regions of Russia.
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What is “Oreshnik”?
“The Oreshnik is a modification of the RS-26 Rubizhne missile, a Russian solid-propellant intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that can be equipped with individually guided thermonuclear warheads. Developed by the Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering, it is based on the RS-24 Yars missile and has a reduced design with fewer stages. First successfully tested in 2012, it is capable of carrying the Avangard hypersonic vehicle.
The missile explosion allegedly occurs according to a multi-stage principle: after entering the designated area, the warhead separates from the carrier and releases several warheads (submunitions) that descend along independent trajectories. Each of these blocks has its own guidance system and can hit separate targets, increasing the area of damage. When the missile hits the ground, the main warhead (conventional or nuclear) is detonated, accompanied by a powerful shock wave, high temperature and scattering of debris, and in the case of a cluster warhead, explosions of numerous smaller warheads that can hit manpower, equipment and light shelters over a large area.
The missile has drawn criticism over suspected violations of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. Its tests showed the ability to reach a range of more than 5,500 km, although it was subsequently tested at much shorter distances. “Rubizh is seen by Russia as a tool to deter NATO from defending its Eastern European allies, posing a threat to Western European countries.
In 2018, the project was frozen until 2027, and resources were directed to the development of Avangard.
However, on November 21, 2024 , Russia fired an intercontinental ballistic missile at the Dnipro River. Later, Putin called the missile “Oreshnik” (which turned out to be a modification of the Rubezh) and said that Russia was ready to continue in the same vein.
Russians claim that there is virtually no effective defense against this missile. However, this is not entirely true. For example, the American THAAD missile defense system is theoretically designed for this very purpose. However, in practice, it has so far only one successful combat use against a Houthi intermediate-range ballistic missile in 2022.
Moreover, it is likely that the Oreshnik itself does not exist. A number of sources in Russia indicate that the production of the missile has not yet been established. And even the strike on the Dnipro was carried out with a missile without a proper warhead, practically a “dummy”. So, Oreshnik may turn out to be just a Russian horror story.
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