Kathrine Frich
When Ukraine’s intelligence service revealed that it had secretly destroyed one of Russia’s most advanced ballistic missiles, it confirmed an operation that had remained hidden for more than two years.
The strike, carried out long before the weapon became known to the world, targeted one of Moscow’s most guarded military assets.
A secret operation revealed
During a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky, the head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), Vasyl Maliuk, disclosed that Ukrainian special forces destroyed one of three Oreshnik missile systems in the summer of 2023.
The attack took place at the Kapustin Yar test site in Russia’s Astrakhan region.
“It happened at a time when the name ‘Oreshnik’ was not even known to the general public, and Russia was not yet presenting it as a deterrent weapon,” Maliuk said.
The operation, conducted jointly with Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR), was kept secret to protect the teams involved.
According to Maliuk, only Ukrainian leadership and the heads of several partner states were informed at the time.
what is the “oreshnik”?
The Oreshnik is believed to be a medium-range ballistic missile system under development in Russia, designed to strike targets at distances of up to 5,000 kilometers.
Ukrainian intelligence now claims that Moscow plans to deploy these systems in Belarus by the end of 2025, placing them roughly 120–140 kilometers from Ukraine’s northern border and about 200 kilometers from Lithuania, a member of both NATO and the European Union.
President Zelensky warned that this deployment would significantly increase the security risks for Europe.
“Russia intends to deploy the Oreshnik system in Belarus, and we estimate its range at about 5,000 kilometers, with a dead zone of 700 kilometers. It is important that European partners be aware of these risks,” he said.
Missile already used in combat
Zelensky also confirmed that Russia had initially possessed three Oreshnik missiles.
One was used in a previous strike, most likely the attack on the Pivdenmash industrial complex in the city of Dnipro in November 2024.
Ukrainian analysts believe that the strike may have been part of a test, as fragments of telemetry devices were later found at the impact site, suggesting that engineers were collecting flight data.
Following that attack, Ukraine’s intelligence services reported that Russia has since expanded its arsenal to an estimated six Oreshnik missiles.
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Sources: SBU, Ziare.com, Agerpres, EFE, Ukrainian Presidential Office.
This article is made and published by Kathrine Frich, who may have used AI in the preparation
