One of the "Oreshniks" was successfully destroyed at "Kapustin Yar" on Russian territory, said SBU head Vasyl Maliuk during a briefing with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday, writes UNN.
Before this, we never voiced it. But briefly and concisely, we can say that one of the three "Oreshniks" was successfully destroyed on their territory at "Kapustin Yar" by the forces of the Main Intelligence Directorate, the SBU, and the Foreign Intelligence Service.
Details
The head of the SBU did not disclose details but stated that "it was a very successful mission."
"And at that moment, we didn't say a word about it, but a lot of time has passed," Maliuk noted.
What is an "Oreshnik"?
From open sources, it is known that this is a multi-purpose warhead with individual guidance (Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicle - MIRV). That is, the carrier carries a number of warheads, each of which can be aimed at a specific location, allowing one ballistic missile to deliver a more massive strike. MIRVs were developed during the Cold War to ensure the delivery of several nuclear warheads in one launch. In the US, the Minuteman III missile has similar characteristics - an intercontinental ballistic missile that has been in service with the American army since the 70s of the last century.
Sabrina Singh, former Deputy Press Secretary of the Pentagon, described the "Oreshnik" as a variant of the Russian RS-26 ballistic missile. The RS-26 is a 40-ton solid-propellant missile. Depending on the angle at which it is launched, the RS-26 can fly just over 5400 kilometers. This puts the missile almost on par with intercontinental ones. But still, the RS-26 is considered more comfortable and effective for launch as a medium-range ballistic missile - up to 5400 km.
As Forbes writes, the problem for the designers of the RS-26 (ICBM "Rubezh") was that until 2019, the US and Russia were parties to the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, which prohibited the testing and deployment of missiles with a range of 310 to 3400 miles (approximately 500 to 5400 km).
In 2019, both the US and Russia withdrew from the treaty, but even before their withdrawal from obligations, Russia continued to develop the missile. To avoid openly violating the INF Treaty during tests before 2019, the Russians directed the RS-26 so that it would travel slightly beyond the treaty's established threshold of 3400 miles - although the missile's design was intended for medium, not intercontinental, range.
According to experts, the RS-26 is not necessarily an intercontinental ballistic missile, and its descendant, the "Oreshnik" (code RS-28), is almost certainly not. But the development of the missiles was carried out secretly and, in fact, circumventing the agreements that were in force until 2019.