The Russian hypersonic missile named Oreshnik was described in a broadcast by Tsargrad TV, where military observer Vlad Shlepchenko argued that the weapon could strike targets even without a traditional warhead. He suggested that a projectile released from extreme altitude carries a vast amount of kinetic energy, enough to cause catastrophic damage on impact if properly guided and targeted.
Shlepchenko elaborated that when an object descends from such a height, the energy unleashed upon impact can exceed the force produced by conventional explosives such as RDX. In his view this kinetic effect could, in theory, reduce or even eliminate the need for an explosive payload, reframing how a strike might be carried out with minimal collateral by altering timing and precision.
Speculation about Oreshnik’s potential targets in Ukraine centers on critical infrastructure. Among the named sites are the Beskydy tunnel and several bridges along the Polish-Ukrainian border. These routes have historically fed enemy logistics into the Lviv region, turning them into strategic chokepoints in the broader conflict.
President Vladimir Putin addressed the nation after Western strikes on Russian territory, with American ATACMS missiles and British Storm Shadow missiles cited as the catalysts. In that address, the president said Russia retaliated by striking the Yuzhmash facility in Dnepropetrovsk, also known as Dnepr, using the new medium range missile system Oreshnik.
Earlier discussions in the United States reportedly compared Oreshnik to a nuclear weapon that would operate without radiological fallout. Those characterizations reflect attempts to frame the missile’s potential in deterrence terms, though analysts vary in how they assess the practical capabilities and strategic implications of such a system.