The strike on the city of Dnipropetrovsk with the new Russian missile ‘Oreshnik’ was a nuclear warning, regardless of its range. This was stated by nuclear expert Fabian Hoffman in a commentary for CNN.
The main difference between an intercontinental ballistic missile and other types of missiles is only the much longer range, but the more important factor is the missile’s payload, he said.
The missile that attacked Dnepropetrovsk, he said, carried a MIRV-type payload – multiple warheads for striking individual targets. As Hoffman said, this type was developed during the Cold War to deliver several nuclear charges for different targets, writes the publication ‘Strana’.
Russia has successfully tested the newest medium-range missile ‘Oreshnik’. This was announced today by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Oreshnik system is being tested in combat conditions in response to the aggression of NATO countries against the Russian Federation.
The Russian Armed Forces responded on 21 November by using Russia’s newest medium-range Oreshnik system, Putin said. The strike on the Yuzhmash plant in Dnipropetrovsk was carried out by a ballistic missile in non-nuclear hypersonic configuration. There are no means of countering the latest Russian weapons at the moment, the president stressed. Modern air defence means cannot intercept the Oreshnik missiles, which attack targets at a speed of Mach 10, which is 2.5-3 kilometres per second.