Russia is using its hypersonic missile to send a political message. How dangerous is Oresnik?

Russia did not use a hypersonic missile to target an area in western Ukraine near the border with Poland, the European Union, but high-ranking officials then boasted about the power of the nuclear weapon, in what some saw as a clear warning to the West.

Ukraine’s air force said the missile, which can be armed with six warheads, each with its own payload, was traveling at a speed of 13,000 kilometers per hour, but did not disclose details of what exactly was hit.

It was the second time that Russia used the Oreshnik against Ukraine, a hypersonic missile that is impossible for the country to intercept.

But Moscow’s choice to use it, along with an array of other lethal weapons including ballistic missiles and drones, appears to be more about political messaging than military strategy.

In a post on the Telegram social media platform, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who serves as deputy chairman of the country’s security council, compared Oreshnik’s strike to an antipsychotic drug that was much needed in a world ruled by “out-of-touch actors” and “dangerous psychopaths.”

In the same document he criticized what he called the “capture” of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and the seizure of a Russian-flagged naval vessel.

‘Weapon of Propaganda’

The leaders of the UK, France and Germany have condemned Russia’s use of this missile and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has called this a clear and dangerous development.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called it a warning to the US and Europe.

But on the streets of Kyiv, many citizens see it as another deadly Russian weapon. On Friday morning, workers were busy clearing debris after various strikes that killed four people including first aid.

Resident Oleksandr Poliak, 30, says his biggest concern is the hundreds of Shahed drones that are being released every day in the capital.

“It’s more important to think about this type of weapon, than the Oreshnik. The Oreshnik is like a propaganda weapon,” Poliak said in an interview with an independent group working for CBC News.

“Russia fires this type of weapon every time it is not satisfied with other … negotiations.”

Nuclear missiles are rarely used

Russia said it launched an Oreshnik missile Thursday night at a state-owned company in Ukraine as retaliation for what it called a failed drone attack on President Vladimir Putin’s home last month.

Ukraine calls those allegations “absurd lies” and the United States says the attack did not take place.

The first time Russia used an intermediate-range missile was in November 2024 when it targeted an industrial complex in Dnipro.

In a televised speech released a few hours after the strike, Putin said the Oreshnik was launched in response to the US and UK allowing Ukraine to use long-range weapons to strike targets in Russia.

He warned that NATO’s brutal actions made Russia test this weapon, which he said could not be stopped.

What is so different about Oreshnik?

Experts say that what distinguishes the Oreshnik from other ballistic missiles used by Russia against Ukraine is that it travels at hypersonic speeds and can be armed with six warheads and submunitions that can be directed at different targets.

Marina Miron, a post-doctoral researcher in the department of defense studies at King’s College London says that this weapon has three different stages.

The first is the boost phase, where it is launched and thrown into space. He said this section is estimated to be between two and four minutes.

Once in space, part of the missile separates and falls to earth, leaving a part called the Multiple Independently-targetable Reentry Vehicle (MIRV), to continue moving through space, carrying the warheads.

In the third phase, the MIRV adjusts its trajectory before the warheads are released.

Given that each missile can carry six warheads, as well as submunitions, Miron says it’s possible that “36 things could fall from the sky.”

Can it be stopped?

Experts, including Miron, say that it is impossible for Ukraine to intercept the Oreshnik, as it does not have hypersonic interceptors, and will not be able to target the weapon as it travels through space.

When nuclear weapons fall, Miron says they can spread over a wide area, making it very difficult.

“It’s like if I fire a round and the round flies and you try to stop it by throwing a rock,” he said in a phone interview with CBC News from Munich.

“You can be lucky, but the chances are close to zero.”

There have been reports that some interceptor systems, the US and Israel, can stop this type of missile, but Miron says their effectiveness needs to be tested.

“You will have to have a layered air defense,” he said.

“But speaking of it, it’s very difficult to do anything against it.”

Why is Russia launching now?

Reuters reported that an unnamed senior Ukrainian official said the Lviv Oreshnik was carrying defunct warheads.

Many officials and defense experts believe that Russia’s use of this weapon was designed to send a warning to Ukraine’s allies.

“I think this is a clear message to Trump, Macron, Merz and European leaders,” said Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi, in an interview with Reuters.

“The strike was successfully carried out on the border of the European Union. And the same missile could reach European capitals in six to seven minutes.”

It is not clear how many Oreshnik missile systems Russia has, although last year Moscow announced that it had deployed them. some of them went to Belarusthe Kremlin’s top military aide. in Moscow previously introduced some of its attacks on Ukraine are from Belarusian territory.

Glen Grant, a retired British lawyer and defense expert with the Baltic Security Foundation in Latvia, said it makes no sense for Russia to use an expensive hypersonic weapon to target the types of infrastructure it has successfully hit with drones and other missiles.

Instead, he believes it was only used for political messages.

“In other words, if we can fly it this far, we can fly it to Warsaw or fly it to Riga, or fly it to Tallinn,” he told CBC News in a Zoom interview from Riga, Latvia.

“Also, it has nuclear power.”