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Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed on Friday that Moscow intends to carry out further tests of the hypersonic Oreshnik missile in “real combat conditions,” just a day after it was used in an assault on Ukraine.
“We will continue these tests, including in combat conditions, depending on the situation and character of the security threats posted to Russia,” Putin said in a televised meeting with military chiefs.
Early Thursday morning, Russia fired its newly developed Oreshnik missile at the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, representing a major step up in the weaponry being utilized in the ongoing conflict that has now persisted for almost three years.
The leader of the Kremlin also directed that the missile, capable of reaching speeds of Mach 10—ten times the speed of sound—be moved into full-scale production. He further noted that Russia is working on developing other advanced weaponry of a similar caliber.
“We need to begin serial production. The decision… has in effect been taken,” Putin said, praising the “particular strength of this weapon and its power.
“The weapon system that was tested yesterday is another faithful guarantee of Russia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty,” he added.
Putin confidently declared that no other country in the world has access to missile technology like Russia’s. Although he admitted that other nations would eventually catch up, he underscored, “That might happen tomorrow, in a year or two, but we already possess this system. And that makes all the difference.”
The carefully orchestrated meeting between Putin, the defence minister, and the officials responsible for missile development took place at the conclusion of a week marked by a sharp escalation in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Putin said the firing of the Oreshnik missile was a direct response to Kyiv’s forces using US- and UK-supplied missiles on Russian territory for the first time.
In an address to the nation on Thursday, Putin said Russia reserved the right to fire missiles at military facilities in countries whose weapons are being used by Ukraine — specifically the United States and Britain.
