Russia's Oreshnik missile enters serial production, Putin claims — nearly 1 year after promising to mass produce weapon
Russia has begun serial production of the Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed on Nov. 4.
The announcement comes nearly one year after Putin pledged in December 2024 be begin mass producing Oreshnik missiles "in the near future."
Speaking at an awards ceremony to honor the developers of Russia's Burevestnik missile and Poseidon underwater drone, Putin praised the state of Russia's defense technology and said serialization of the Oreshnik was underway.
"We have developed and deployed the Oreshnik medium-range missile system, and have begun serial production, and equipped our intercontinental ballistic missiles and submarine-launched missiles with modern anti-ballistic missile systems," he said.
Russia first deployed its experimental Oreshnik missile during a strike on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Nov. 21, which Putin said was in retaliation for Ukraine's use of U.S. and U.K. long-range missiles against Russian territory.
The Oreshnik is designed to carry nuclear weapons, though Putin said it was not armed with a nuclear warhead during the attack on Dnipro.
Putin claimed in 2024 that the Oreshnik (meaning "hazel" in English) was a new invention that can travel at 10 times the speed of sound and cannot be intercepted by Western air defense systems — a claim refuted by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
While few details about the missile have been disclosed, defense analysts believe the Oreshnik is an upgraded version of Russia's RS-26 Rubez, first developed in 2011.
Zelensky recently claimed that Russia is capable of producing up to six Oreshnik missiles per year. The president also reported that Ukrainian forces destroyed an Oreshnik ballistic missile inside Russia during the summer of 2024.
Toby Woodall
During his speech on Nov. 4, Putin also boasted about the capabilities of Russia's so-called "superweapons," including the Burevestnik, Poseidon, Avangard, and Sarmat systems.
He claimed that the Burevestnik nuclear-armed cruise missile has an "unlimited range" that "surpasses all known missile systems in the world." Putin also said that during the recent Burevestnik tests on Oct. 21, Russia "didn't interfere" with a NATO reconnaissance vessel in the area — an illustration of the weapon's alleged high-precision targeting accuracy.
Putin then claimed that Russia's Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) would be combat tested this year and enter "combat duty" in 2026.
"All our plans for creating advanced weapons systems, developing the defense-industrial complex, and providing the Russian army and navy with modern equipment and weapons are being fulfilled," he said.
Putin also said that Russia "poses no threat to anyone."
Chris York
