Russia’s new intermediate-range ballistic missile, the Oreshnik, recently fired at Ukraine, was developed using advanced manufacturing equipment from Western companies, despite sanctions, The Financial Times reported on Dec. 27.
The missile, launched at Dnipro on Nov. 21, was described by Russian President Vladimir Putin as a response to Ukraine’s use of American and British weapons to strike deeper into Russia.
Two key Russian weapons engineering institutes — Moscow Institute for Thermal Technology (MITT) and Sozvezdie — were named by Ukrainian intelligence as developers of the Oreshnik.
According to the Financial Times, they posted job listings in 2024 that specified expertise in operating German and Japanese metalworking systems.
The listings cited Fanuc (Japan), Siemens, and Haidenhein (both Germany) control systems for high-precision computer numerical control machines essential for missile production.
Despite sanctions slowing the flow of such equipment, FT analysis found that at least $3 million worth of Heidenhain components were shipped into Russia in 2024, with some buyers closely tied to military production.
Defense expert Fabian Hoffmann from the University of Oslo suggested the Oreshnik is not a wholly new development but rather a modification of the RS-26 Rubezh missile.
While Putin has announced plans for mass production of the Oreshnik, a U.S. official told The Kyiv Independent that Russia likely possesses only a small number of these experimental missiles.
The reliance on Western machinery points to continued vulnerabilities in Russia’s defense industry amid ongoing sanctions aimed at curtailing its military capabilities.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
