“The flight time of this Russian missile, from its launch in the Astrakhan region to its impact in Dnipro, was 15 minutes,” the HUR intelligence agency stated.
“The missile was equipped with six warheads, each loaded with six submunitions. Its speed in the terminal phase exceeded Mach 11,” the HUR added, noting that the weapon was “likely part of the ‘Kedr’ missile system.”
🚨JUST ANNOUNCED: Russians ICBM missile strikes against Dnipro in east central Ukraine.
— AJ Huber (@Huberton) November 21, 2024
The first time in human history that ICBM’s have been used in war. We are closer to World War III WWIII. Putin is open to discussing a ceasefire with Ukraine if negotiations are led by… pic.twitter.com/vMNvyIxHtV
Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday urged the international community to respond swiftly to the attack.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said yesterday that Moscow targeted a Ukrainian military installation using a new medium-range hypersonic ballistic missile called “Oreshnik.” Initially, Kyiv reported that Russia had launched an intercontinental ballistic missile, but U.S. officials and NATO concurred with Putin’s description, identifying it as a medium-range ballistic missile.
Emergency NATO Meeting with Ukraine Scheduled
NATO will hold an emergency meeting with Ukraine on Tuesday at the alliance’s headquarters in Brussels to discuss the Russian strike, a NATO source confirmed today.
Meanwhile, videos purportedly taken by residents of Kazakhstan have been circulating widely on Twitter over the past few hours. These videos allegedly show the trajectory of the hypersonic “Oreshnik” missile, launched by Russia in the early hours of Thursday with a target in Dnipro, eastern Ukraine.
The authenticity of the videos has not been verified, but the footage is as impressive as it is alarming.
Watch the videos here:
What We Know and Don’t About the Mysterious Oreshnik Missile
As earlier reported by protothema.gr, the test of this particular missile, as described by Vladimir Putin himself, alongside the rapid escalation of tensions in the region, has heightened fears of further escalation with global ramifications. The West’s limited knowledge about this hypersonic weapon and Putin’s threatening rhetoric have intensified a sense of uncertainty and diplomatic pressure.
Based on what little is known about Russia’s arsenal, the Oreshnik missiles are among the advanced missile systems developed by Moscow over the last five years. These missiles belong to a new generation of long-range systems but do not fall under the intercontinental category.
Nonetheless, the Oreshniks represent one of the weapons about which the West currently lacks detailed information on their capabilities and specifications. According to statements from President Putin and reports from Russian media, these missiles have the distinct advantage of striking targets with exceptional speed during their descent phase.
Detailed Specifications of Oreshnik Missiles
The Oreshnik missiles reportedly achieve speeds between 2 to 3 kilometers per second, effectively making them not only hypersonic but also “invisible” to air defense.
