Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced that serial production of the Oreshnik intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile system has commenced, with the first units already delivered to the Russian armed forces.
Speaking during a meeting with Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko on Valaam Island on Friday, Putin confirmed that deployment sites for the missile have been selected in Belarus, with preparatory work underway. Full deployment is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.
The Oreshnik missile was first used in combat on November 21, 2024, when Russian forces launched it at the Pivdenmash (Yuzhmash) factory in Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine. That strike followed the U.S. decision to allow Ukraine to use Western-supplied long-range missiles to target territory inside pre-2014 Russia.
Equipped with six warheads and submunitions, the missile was launched from the Kapustin Yar test site in Russia’s Astrakhan region. It reportedly destroyed the massive Soviet-era factory, a critical component of Ukraine’s military-industrial base.
The Oreshnik missile is classified as an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), with an estimated range of 1,000 to 5,500 kilometers (620 to 3,410 miles). Analysts estimate Russia could produce up to 300 Oreshnik missiles per year at the Votkinsk Machine Building Plant. However, the Kremlin is reportedly establishing an additional production line, potentially doubling output to over 600 units annually.
The missile’s deployment—particularly in Belarus—comes amid renewed tensions with Washington. On Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced he had ordered the deployment of two nuclear-capable submarines to “appropriate regions” following an online exchange with former Russian President and current Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev.
In a related move, Trump is also believed to have ordered the redeployment of nuclear weapons to the United Kingdom for the first time since 2008—an action widely interpreted as a deepening of his commitment to NATO, contrary to his earlier campaign rhetoric and the advice of some of his advisors to scale back the U.S. footprint in Europe.