What do we know about Russia’s new ballistic missile, Oreshnik?

President Vladimir Putin has confirmed that Russia tested a hypersonic intermediate-range missile successful an battle connected the Ukrainian metropolis of Dnipro, Ukraine.

The Kremlin said the onslaught was successful effect to Ukraine’s caller usage of US- and UK-supplied missiles to people Russian territory.

Joe Biden, the outgoing US president, and his medication lone precocious gave the greenish airy for Ukraine to motorboat long-range strikes into Russia, a determination which has escalated tensions.

The Pentagon said the US had been notified of the motorboat done atomic hazard simplification channels.

Here is what you request to know:

What is the Oreshnik, Russia’s caller ballistic missile?

The caller intermediate-range ballistic missile, Oreshnik, which means hazel histrion successful Russian, is simply a nuclear-capable limb that has not been antecedently mentioned publicly.

The Pentagon said it is based connected the “RS-26 Rubezh” intercontinental ballistic rocket (ICBM).

Hypersonic missiles question astatine speeds of astatine slightest Mach 5 – 5 times the velocity of dependable – and tin manoeuvre mid-flight, making them harder to way and intercept.

The rocket tin person 3 to six warheads, subject adept Viktor Baranets wrote successful the Komsomolskaya Pravda tabloid.

Igor Korotchenko, exertion of the Moscow-based National Defence journal, told the TASS authorities quality bureau that based connected video footage of the strike, Oreshnik has aggregate independently guided warheads.

Why has Russia utilized this rocket now?

Russia is successful retaliation mode.

The motorboat came aft Ukraine fired US- and UK-supplied missiles connected Russian territory for the archetypal time, escalating tensions successful the astir three-year-long conflict.

This followed the reversal of a ban connected Kyiv, which had been placed by Washington, connected utilizing high-precision Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) to onslaught targets successful Russia.

Moscow says six US-made ATACMS missiles were launched astatine Russia connected Tuesday, portion British Storm Shadow cruise missiles and US-made HIMARS were fired astatine the state connected Thursday.

Moscow says this makes Western countries that authorise Ukraine to usage their missiles to deed Russia nonstop participants successful the conflict.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said connected Friday that Moscow was successful “no doubt” that Washington had understood that the onslaught connected Dnipro was a warning.

“The main connection is that the reckless decisions and actions of Western countries, which nutrient missiles, proviso them to Ukraine, and subsequently instrumentality portion successful carrying retired strikes connected Russian territory, cannot stay without a absorption from the Russian side,” Peskov said.

What has Putin said astir the attacks?

In an unscheduled tv quality connected Thursday, Putin said the onslaught connected the metropolis of Dnipro had tested successful combat conditions “one of the newest Russian mid-range rocket systems”.

Putin said it had been deployed “in a non-nuclear hypersonic configuration” and said the “test” had been palmy and had deed its target.

Putin said aerial defences cannot intercept the Oreshnik.

“Modern aerial defence systems… cannot intercept specified missiles. That’s impossible,” Putin said.

“As of today, determination are nary means of counteracting specified a weapon,” the president boasted.

Putin besides stated that Russia volition “address the question of further deployment of intermediate and shorter-range missiles based connected the actions of the United States and its satellites”.

What has Ukraine said astir the strike?

Kyiv claimed that Russia had utilized an intercontinental ballistic rocket (ICBM) on with a barrage of different missiles astatine Dnipro.

Local authorities said the onslaught deed an infrastructure installation and injured 2 civilians.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned of a “clear escalation”.

An intercontinental ballistic rocket (ICBM) has a scope of 1,000-5,500km (621 to 3,418 miles), a level beneath that of an intermediate-range ballistic missile.

Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate said it was fired from the 4th Missile Test Range, Kapustin Yar, successful Russia’s Astrakhan portion and flew 15 minutes earlier striking Dnipro.

The rocket had six warheads, each carrying six submunitions. The highest velocity the rocket reached was 11 Mach.

What happens next?

NATO volition clasp an exigency gathering with Ukraine astatine the confederation office successful Brussels connected Tuesday to sermon Moscow’s usage of the missile, a NATO root said connected Friday.

The Western subject confederation confirmed that the NATO Ukraine Council, grouping allies’ NATO ambassadors and their Ukrainian counterparts, volition convene astatine Kyiv’s request, but did not springiness immoderate item connected the taxable of discussions.

Source

:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies