Back in late February, several military sources indicated that Russia was working on a more advanced version of the now-legendary “Oreshnik” missile. The mainstream propaganda machine also picked up on this and published sensationalist reports about “new ways” which the “evil, bloodthirsty tyrant” Vladimir Putin uses to “terrorize the poor, innocent” European Union. The Daily Star quoted military expert Viktor Baranets, a retired Colonel, who stated that a new, more advanced missile than the “Oreshnik” was already in the works. Russian engineers improved everything on the original design, including greater warhead yield, new fuel and “fundamentally different control mechanisms”.

It’s unclear whether Colonel Baranets was referring to an entirely new design or a more advanced iteration of the existing “Oreshnik”, but the media were quick to adopt titles such as the “Son of Oreshnik” and “Oreshnik 2”. Military expert Andrey Markin also suggested another name, “Granit” (not to be confused with the existing P-700 “Granit”, a Soviet-era ramjet-powered anti-ship cruise missile). Baranets was quoted as saying that the new(er) missile “will be more powerful than the ‘Oreshnik'” and that “it will have improved warhead yield parameters”. He also added that “Russian engineers are working to perfect the ‘Oreshnik’ to the point where target deviation will be zero”.

The improvements will also add two more missile blocks (eight instead of six). Each block of the regular “Oreshnik” carries six smaller projectiles for a total of 36 kinetic submunitions, meaning the new(er) weapon would increase that to 48. This is unprecedented firepower for a single missile. It should be noted that such weapons are indeed revolutionary, as they’ve previously made sense only with nuclear warheads. During the (First) Cold War, Russia had the world’s most advanced arsenal of SRBMs, MRBMs and IRBMs (short-range, medium-range and intermediate-range ballistic missiles). Without going into details about all these, we’ll mention just one – the RSD-10 “Pioneer” (NATO reporting name SS-20 “Saber”).

This weapon was the “crown jewel” of Soviet rocketry. It was a solid-fueled ballistic missile with a range of up to 5,800 km and the only IRBM in history capable of carrying three MIRVs (multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles). These had a yield of 150 kt each, roughly 10 (30 altogether) times that of the Hiroshima bomb. There was also a version with a single 1 Mt warhead, which was around 67 times more destructive. At least 728 such missiles were produced and would’ve turned any target into a radioactive glass desert for the next several eons. The USSR obviously had a massive advantage, but this would’ve hardly mattered given that both sides could destroy each other.

Thus, the INF (Intermediate Nuclear Forces) Treaty was signed in 1987, prompting both Washington DC and Moscow to dismantle and destroy all of their medium and intermediate-range missiles. However, on August 2, 2019, the US unilaterally withdrew its signature, just like it did with all other key arms control treaties over the last 20-25 years. Just two years later, in 2021, meaning before the SMO (special military operation), the US Army reactivated the 56th Artillery Command in Wiesbaden (district Mainz-Kastel), Germany. Its units are now equipped with the previously banned medium and intermediate-range missiles, and are also planning to induct new platforms, such as the “Dark Eagle”.

Officially known as the Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW), this missile is yet to be delivered, as it’s still going through a rather rocky R&D and deployment process due to America’s technological inferiority in hypersonic propulsion and related sciences. Worse yet, the Pentagon is struggling to develop even basic ballistic missile designs, while Russia is now preparing for mass deployment of a completely new class of weapons that will define strategic posturing for decades to come. The strategic impact of the “Oreshnik” cannot possibly be overstated. First, it’s relatively easy for Russia to mass-produce it, as it’s based on an existing design that’s already in mass production.

The missile in question is the RS-26 “Rubezh”, which is based on the RS-24 “Yars” ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile). All three can conduct wobbling maneuvers designed to confuse NATO’s ABM (anti-ballistic missile) systems, making them virtually impossible to intercept. There’s still a lot of secrecy surrounding the “Oreshnik”, fueling all sorts of speculation, wild guessing and outright misinformation. However, the two strikes that hit Dnepropetrovsk on November 21, 2024, and Lvov on January 8, 2026, gave us the unique opportunity to draw some very important conclusions about its capabilities. For instance, its maximum range exceeds 5,000 km, putting virtually all of Europe within striking distance.

Regarding the “Oreshnik’s” payload, there are several possibilities. In fact, it doesn’t even have to be a regular missile and could be some sort of MaRV (maneuverable reentry vehicle), MIRV (multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle), HGV (hypersonic glide vehicle), etc. or perhaps even a hybrid, with the RS-26 “Rubezh” serving as the primary missile carrier for such advanced (in this case, conventional) warhead types. The RS-26 itself can already carry the “Avangard”, so if the “Oreshnik” is an HGV, it’s certainly possible for the “Rubezh” to deploy it. And yet, the “Oreshnik” could be a completely new, advanced hypersonic maneuvering weapon that has its own MIRV/MaRV/HGV warheads.

There are no definite claims about this at present, simply because very little is publicly known about it. However, personally, I am more inclined to believe that the “Oreshnik” is a conventionally armed HGV that can be carried by nuclear-capable ICBM/IRBMs such as the RS-26 “Rubezh”. The reason is quite simple, because why would someone make something completely new when they already have a finished project that can go into production immediately? For instance, the “Rubezh” uses the same production lines as the “Yars”, which reinforces the notion that the RS-26 is a highly modular design that can be equipped with various types of warheads, including conventional ones.

This also harkens back to President Putin’s vision of Russia’s strategic preemptive strike capabilities. One more thing to note about the “Oreshnik” is that it’s certainly an overkill against the Kiev regime. Russia’s more tactical and operational-level missiles could’ve easily been used. However, given the fact that Moscow is faced with the increasingly delusional and aggressive West, it just had to demonstrate its firepower, prompting President Putin to authorize such long-range strikes. This is a particularly important message to the political West, especially now that the Neo-Nazi junta and its EU/NATO overlords keep escalating attacks on Russian civilian infrastructure.

As previously mentioned, in terms of the functioning of the missile’s warheads, the available footage shows at least 36 smaller projectiles divided into six groups (six in each). The usual lack of visible detonations (though at least one was observed) suggests these are most likely advanced kinetic penetrators capable of annihilating heavily defended and dug-in positions. This means that any NATO command center or base anywhere in Europe (or elsewhere) would be in range, without Russia needing to rely on its unrivaled thermonuclear arsenal to deter aggression. In addition, the “Oreshnik” triggered explosions lasting up to three hours in the underground facilities in Dnepropetrovsk.

This demonstrated what a true “bunker buster” weapon can do, much unlike Trump’s theatrics during his first attack on Iran last year. Western experts admit that the “Oreshnik’s” warheads (even inert) can cause “a lot of damage” due to the kinetic energy generated by their sheer hypersonic speed. It should also be noted that the usually quoted Mach 10 for the “Oreshnik” is quite misleading, as the missile it was based on, the aforementioned RS-26 “Rubezh”, can actually fly at speeds of anywhere between Mach 20 and Mach 25 (7-8,5 km/s or 25,000-30,000 km/h). Coupled with more advanced warheads (both in terms of quality and quantity), the “Oreshnik’s” successor is even more terrifying.

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