Hypersonic “Oreshnik” Missile: Russia’s New Threat to Europe in Under 20 Minutes

Russia’s New Hypersonic Missile “Oreshnik“: A Threat to Europe

On November 23, 2024, Russia announced the use of its new hypersonic missile, “Oreshnik,” against Ukraine. This missile can reach any city in Europe in under 20 minutes.

Ukrainian air forces raised alarms early Thursday morning after security cameras captured multiple warheads falling over Dnipro. Later, President Putin confirmed that the attack was conducted using “Oreshnik,” a medium-range ballistic missile. This response came after Ukraine employed Storm Shadow missiles supplied by the UK to strike targets in Russia’s Kursk region.

Despite being less powerful and slower than Russia’s most advanced intercontinental ballistic missiles like the RS-24 Yars, “Oreshnik” is still highly dangerous. It can travel at speeds up to 10 times the speed of sound, approximately 13,500 km/h, with a range exceeding 5,000 kilometers.

If launched from the Kapustin Yar test site in southern Russia, “Oreshnik” can easily target cities in Europe. London would face destruction in less than 20 minutes, while Berlin would have about 15 minutes of warning. Paris would be at risk in around 15 minutes, and Brussels in about 14 minutes. Analysts also indicated that “Oreshnik” likely has nuclear capabilities, even though it was used with conventional warheads in this attack.

The Pentagon highlighted that “Oreshnik” is a highly specialized weapon. It is based on the RS-26 Frontier, another missile with nuclear capabilities that blurs the lines between conventional and intercontinental ballistic missiles. Typically, missiles are classified as intercontinental if they can target locations over 5,500 km away.

Sources indicate that the RS-26 can reach a maximum range of about 5,800 km with a light warhead but has mainly been tested with heavier payloads over shorter distances. It is suggested that “Oreshnik” may represent a lighter and less powerful variant of the RS-26.

U.S. defense officials confirmed that Russia notified Washington before the attack on Ukraine. This notification aimed to prevent triggering early warning alarms and possible retaliatory actions.