Oreshnik
The Oreshnik (hazelnut tree) is a high-precision medium-range hypersonic missile with both nuclear and non-nuclear[1] MaRV (maneuverable reentry vehicle) capabilities delivering 36 warheads. It is believed the reentry vehicles have their own guidance and propulsion system. Oreshnik fly's at speeds of up to Mach 10 (around 7,600 miles/12,200km per hour/3 km per sec.), or ten times the speed of sound. The high velocity makes it stealthy and difficult to track, virtually impossible to intercept, much less target, after the boost phase by the most advanced NATO missile defense systems thanks to a plasma bubble. The missile hits its target at a temperature of 4000 Celsius, turning everything into dust. The weapon produces nuclear-scale destruction without being nuclear - not providing long term radioactive damage to the environment.
Western military experts conceded after the first combat deployment of the missile on November 21, 2024, that there were no means of counteracting Oreshnik-type innovations in the world.[2] According to Military Watch magazine, Russia is capable of producing 25 Oreshnik missiles per month.[3]
Oreshnik missiles can reach any NATO location, and there are 40 high-priority bases whose neutralization will cripple NATO in Europe for good. FOX News contributor Gen. Jack Keane is reported to have commented that Oreshnik has "changed the rules of the game." Former National Security Advisor in the First Trump Administration Gen. H.R. McMaster stated:
| “ | Probability models show that the THAAD and AEGIS systems are not capable of effectively countering the Oreshnik, and systems that can reliably shoot down the missile will not appear in US service in the next 15 years.[4] | ” |
Russia will soon have hundreds of Oreshnik missiles ready, and NATO has nothing (even on the drawing boards) to intercept them.[5]
Combat testing and damage assessment
The Oreshnik missile was first deployed in combat on November 21, 2024, when it struck the Yuzhmash industrial complex occupied by NATO in the city of Dnepropetrovsk. The target was a key defense site inherited by Ukraine from the USSR that produced missile equipment.
According to available information, the first responders found something unusual about the bombing site. Besides the ruins, rubble, and debris everywhere, what leaked from Ukrainian internal communications was that they observed something described as "small volcanoes filled with glowing material." Ukrainian SBU immediately cordoned off the whole area, and access was allowed only to those approved by the authorities. This apparently was to prevent the Russians from damage assessment.
Some sources suggest there were six mini volcanoes with glowing material inside. If there were six areas described as "mini volcanoes" but 36 warhead strikes, the logical question is how could 36 hits cause only six mini volcanos? The explanation may be that six small warheads delivered from one carrier hit the designated area in a pattern that provided a “mutual destruction engagement zone,” meaning that they hit relatively close to each other in a pattern so that the penetration and the shock waves interreacted with each other, thus multiplying the effect and affecting a much wider area.
If the missile bus carried just six large warheads without submunitions, they may be dispersed some distance from each other so that the penetration into the ground might be deeper, but the overall width of the targeted area may be smaller compared to an equivalent dispersion of smaller submunitions.
The glowing material the first responders reported may be some kind of molten natural material in the form of magma (underground molten rock) or lava (molten rock above ground). It would be correct to say that they likely saw something that reminded them of lava. It is unknown what ammunition can create this effect.
It is definitely not nuclear but rather kinetic, and many experts agree — kinetic warheads made of a dense and very high-temperature resistant material. The next question is whether the projectile is purely inert (kinetic) or if some active component has been incorporated. Based on available information in the scientific domain, there are some merits to the argument that there may also be a unique explosive present, adding to the kinetic effect.
A Russian source said that the surface temperature of the warhead is 4000 C, and to withstand this temperature, a special alloy or ceramic material was developed. The composition is top secret. It is known that Tantalum-Hafnium carbide or Hafnium carbonitride has a melting point of about 4000 C, but these materials are used just representative of the possibilities. Other components may be present if the warhead does not melt at 4000 C. Density is another unknown and can be easily higher than 16 g/cc. Depleted uranium would be the densest material available but it was definitely not used in Oreshnik.[6] It may also be some alloy based on Wolfram (Tungsten) Vanadium base.[7]
Adding tungsten creates energetic structural materials (EMS)[8] with high strength. This material has high stability under normal conditions and the ability to maintain structural integrity under detonation loading. What is of particular interest is that when the ESMs interact with a target object, which in Dnipro was an underground structure, chemical reactions occur between different components of the ESMs and surrounding materials, resulting in combustion or explosion reactions.
The projectile approaching with high velocity (10+ Mach) and high surface temperature creates a shockwave and interacts with the surrounding material such as dirt, soil moisture, rocks, or concrete. A chemical process forms that creates detonation. So, besides the kinetic impact, a warhead of a specific composition will also induce an explosion, multiplying the effect of the kinetic penetration. High temperature combined with a shock wave accelerates systems that contain a large quantity of micrometric or nanometric metals and metal compound particles, so detonation creates an immense temperature that can melt surrounding material to some distance.
The impact at Yuzhmash may be described as extreme pressure generated underground, creating a microearthquake that damaged foundations, buildings, and underground structures. After the underground overpressure subsides and the shockwave reaches the surface, everything above the impact points may collapse into the cavity below, which is filled with molten material. This collapse of the solid materials pushes the molten material up. This material will eventually solidify. This explains what may have happened beneath Yuzhmash and what the first responders saw as a “mini volcano.”
References
- ↑ variant options including thermobaric.
- ↑ https://www.theweek.in/news/defence/2024/11/25/is-oreshnik-the-end-of-missile-defence-as-we-know-it-expert-claims-no-defense-systems-in-the-world-can-counter-russias-missile.html
- ↑ https://t.me/ForeignAgentIntel/12960
- ↑ https://avia-pro.net/news/amerikanskiy-general-zayavil-chto-oreshnik-izmenil-pravila-igry-v-ukrainskom-konflikte
- ↑ Now I am scared: the New Oreshnik Missile Attack on Dnipro, Millennium 7 * HistoryTech, Nov 24, 2025. YouTube.
- ↑ High density is necessary for deep penetration, and depleted uranium is among the most dense materials. However, its use would leave residual radiation, so this idea is excluded from consideration.
- ↑ Oreshnik Against Zelensky's Bunker [i ], Mike Mihajlovic, Dec 18, 2024. bmanalysis.substack.com
- ↑ Energetic structural materials (ESMs) are multifunctional reactive composites which are designed to have structural strength and energetic characteristics, including high energy density and low sensitivity.
