Media: Ukraine destroys Russian Oreshnik missile system inside Russia

One of Russia’s “Oreshnik” missile systems was destroyed inside Russian territory by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), the Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR), and the Armed Forces, RBC-Ukraine reported.

Commenting on the matter, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that Russia had carried out about three launches from this system.

In his turn, SBU head Vasyl Maliuk emphasised that one of the three systems was successfully destroyed at the Kapustin Yar testing range, adding that it was a very successful operation that was not publicised at the time.

"We haven't publicly mentioned this before, but briefly — one of the three Oreshnik systems was successfully destroyed on their (Russian - ed.) territory, at Kapustin Yar, by the HUR, SBU, and the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It was a very successful operation, and quite some time has passed since then," he said.

Furthermore, Maliuk added that it was reported exclusively to the President of Ukraine, and only a few presidents of other countries were aware.

He also noted that the strike took place the summer before last, when the Oreshnik system was not yet widely known and before Moscow began using it as a public threat.

In addition, the SBU chief commented on operations against Russian Pantsir-S1 surface-to-air missile systems. Maliuk said Russian Pantsir systems are the most effective against Ukrainian drones, yet since early 2025, Ukraine has destroyed nearly half of them.

He further explained that Russia produces around 30 Pantsirs a year, but Ukrainian forces have already surpassed this number. Maliuk added that operations are continuing, and more results will be announced later.

Meanwhile, the SBU chief also reported over 160 successful strikes on Russian oil infrastructure since the start of the year. He stressed the SBU focuses on legitimate targets, which account for about 90% of the Russian Defence Ministry’s budget.

At the same time, Zelenskyy stated Russia plans to deploy the “Oreshnik” system on the territory of Belarus.

The Ukrainian leader also stressed that Western partners should pay attention to this.

“We understand that their approximate range is 5,500 kilometres. And there is a dead zone of 700 kilometres. This means that Europeans, especially those in Eastern Europe, should pay attention to this. And everyone else, too. We must pay attention to these risks,” the president explained.

The Oreshnik is a medium-range, ground-to-ground ballistic missile reportedly capable of carrying either a nuclear or a conventional warhead.

Technical specifications remain scarce, though Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed the missile can strike targets at speeds reaching Mach 10, or roughly 2.5–3 kilometres per second.

By Jeyhun Aghazada