Putin Announces the Serial Production of Oreshnik Hypersonic Missiles

June 26—In a June 23 speech at the Kremlin to a meeting with distinguished graduates of Russian military and security institutions, Russian President Vladimir Putin told them that today’s Russian soldiers “are the direct heirs of the heroes of the Great Patriotic War and of all those who have defended our thousand-year-old Russia across generations.”

He added: "We will focus in particular on the nuclear triad. The Strategic Missile Forces will be equipped with the latest Yars systems, and the aviation component of the strategic nuclear forces will be reinforced with upgraded Tu-160M missile carriers this year.

“In addition, serial production of the state-of-the-art medium-range missile system Oreshnik is underway. It has demonstrated outstanding performance in combat situations,” Putin announced. The only known use of the Oreshnik in combat was in the Ukraine last spring, when one missile targeted a Ukrainian drone factory, in response to the use of US missile systems by NATO's Ukraine proxy to hit targets deep in the Russian homeland. Observers noted that missile hitting its target at hypersonic speeds produced an effect similar and as devastating in the immediate area as a nuclear weapon. There is no western counter to the Oreshnik, which cannot be shot down by any missile defense system.