Oreshnik strike highlights growing role of advanced missiles in Ukraine War

Russian forces have once again deployed the Oreshnik medium-range ballistic missile in a new wave of strikes against Ukraine, this time targeting Kyiv and surrounding areas on the night of May 23.

The overnight attacks marked only the third confirmed combat use of the hypersonic missile since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, as Ukrainian media reports.

The weapon was first used in November 2024 against what appeared to be an empty industrial facility in the city of Dnipro. Its second known deployment came in January 2026, when Russian forces targeted Lviv.

Russia’s defence Ministry later confirmed the latest strike, stating the attack targeted Ukrainian military command and defence industry facilities using the Oreshnik missile alongside other ballistic weapons. Moscow described the operation as retaliation for an alleged Ukrainian strike on a college dormitory in Starobilsk, located in Ukraine’s occupied Luhansk region.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had warned a day earlier that Russia was preparing another Oreshnik launch, citing intelligence reports. He urged Kyiv’s partners to respond to Russia’s actions “not after the fact, but preventively” by increasing pressure on Moscow.

Oreshnik's mighty force

The missile’s name — “Oreshnik,” meaning “Hazel Tree” in Russian — refers to the streaks of light created as its warheads descend toward their targets.

Unlike conventional ballistic missiles that carry a single warhead, the Oreshnik is equipped with multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs). During the final phase of flight, the missile separates into several warheads capable of striking simultaneously.

Designed primarily for nuclear warfare scenarios, the missile reportedly reaches suborbital altitude and can carry up to six nuclear or conventional warheads. Its hypersonic speed and extremely short warning time make interception by existing air-defence systems highly difficult.

Russian President Vladimir Putin previously claimed the missile can travel at speeds of Mach 10 — roughly 12,300 kilometers per hour.

“One of the newest medium-range missiles has been tested under combat conditions,” Putin said following the first launch in 2024.

Western intelligence officials, however, believe the Oreshnik is not an entirely new system but rather a modified version of an older Russian missile platform.

“This IRBM was based on Russia’s RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile model,” said Sabrina Singh, deputy spokeswoman for the US Department of defence, after the missile’s initial deployment.

Symbolism over battlefield necessity

The missile’s renewed use has intensified tensions surrounding the now-defunct Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, which prohibited such weapons in Europe. The United States withdrew from the treaty in 2019, and analysts note that Russia’s deployment of the Oreshnik would have violated the agreement’s original terms.

Some military experts also question the battlefield logic behind using such an advanced and expensive missile against targets already vulnerable to drones and conventional strikes.

Glen Grant, a retired British lieutenant-colonel and analyst with the Baltic Security Foundation, told Canadian media the launch appeared intended more as a geopolitical signal than a military necessity.

“In other words, if we can fly it this far, we can fly it all the way to Warsaw or we can fly it to Riga, or we fly to Tallinn,” he told CBC News.

By Nazrin Sadigova