Perhaps the newest weapon in Russia’s war against Ukraine is one described by President Vladimir Putin himself as unstoppable. Disturbingly expanding the combat, the hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile Oreshnik was used for the first time against the city of Dnipro; this shows an escalation in conflict in which alarm sounds around the globe.
He declared the strike in an address to the nation, adding that it was supposed to exhibit Russia’s superior military capabilities. The Oreshnik, developed over the past decade in secrecy, reportedly exceeds speeds above Mach 10 and performs sharp maneuvers in mid-flight, unequivocally out of the reach of active European defense systems. It is a grim reminder that Russia is committing the most advanced technology to unbalance the battlefield.
It struck an industrial complex in Dnipro late on Tuesday evening, causing widespread destruction. Fourteen civilians were injured, including three children, and several buildings in the surrounding area suffered heavy damage. The blast also triggered power cuts, plunging parts of the city into darkness overnight. Initial reports spoke of another kind of missile, but later military experts said it was the Oreshnik- the first time this advanced weapon has seen action in the conflict.
Residents described the bedlam that ensued.
“The explosion shook everything,”
said a local shopkeeper.
“We didn’t know what had happened, but it felt like something we’d never experienced.”
Emergency crews then labored steadily to put out fires and extract those trapped in rubble. Ukrainian officials criticized the attack as a war crime and another example of Russia’s target of civilian infrastructure.
The Oreshnik missile carries deep implications. While traditional ballistic missiles rely on a straightforward trajectory, this one will be designed to shift the mid-flight-evading interception characteristic that renders most existing air defense systems useless. Analysts said the development could give Russia significant leverage in Ukraine and any potential confrontations with NATO allies.
“This missile changes the equation,”
said one military analyst.
“It’s a direct challenge to the West’s defense capabilities.”
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wasted no time in responding; he branded the attack an outright escalation.
“Russia is not just attacking Ukraine; it is sending a message to the entire free world,”
Zelenskyy said in a televised address. He pressed for NATO and other Western allies to increase assistance, especially more sophisticated air defense systems to counter hypersonic threats.
In Washington, U.S. officials promptly condemned the strike. For Pentagon spokesperson Brigadier General Patrick Ryder, it was a “reckless and dangerous provocation”; for NATO’s Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, flying such a missile was a “clear violation of international norms.” Stoltenberg emphasized further that military aid to Ukraine has to be accelerated, even in systems to counter these kinds of threats, like the Oreshnik.
But the Kremlin responded to the attack by claiming it was justified. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the criticism, saying the missile strike was a legitimate response to Ukrainian provocations. Moscow has increasingly framed the war as a confrontation not only with Ukraine but with the collective West, accusing NATO of ratcheting up the conflict through the provision of sophisticated armaments to Kyiv.
This newest development underlines how much the war in Ukraine has heated up over the last few months. Both sides are scaling up their military methods, with NATO giving Ukraine long-range missiles and tanks and Russia using increasingly sophisticated weaponry to keep its offensive going. Experts say that the use of hypersonic missiles could result in an even more forceful response from NATO, risking an expanded conflict.
In this respect, using the Oreshnik missile shows the high stakes in Ukraine as each side brings ever newer and more technologically capable sets of weapons into play-sometimes beyond prior accrued experience. For Ukraine, it’s a new challenge in an already grueling conflict. It may also be a wake-up call for NATO and the West to mean current defenses are no longer good enough.
