The Pentagon says the Oreshnik is a tweak of Russia’s RS-26 Rubezh missile, an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that has been tested since 2011.

Russia’s new ballistic missile flies on a high arc out of Earth’s atmosphere and releases multiple high-speed projectiles, making it challenging but not impossible to intercept

President Vladimir Putin confirmed on Thursday that Russia used an experimental intermediate-range ballistic missile in a strike on Ukraine for the first time, marking a dangerous new escalation in the conflict.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin and the Russian military leadership are continuing to laud the Oreshnik ballistic missile launched on 21 November on the city of Dnipro. However, military analysts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) suggest that this is part of an information campaign to inflate Russia's capabilities and put pressure on the West and Ukraine.

Russia said it was planning a response after Ukraine's armed forces hit a military and civilian airfield in the Kursk region with U.S.-supplied, long-range ATCMS missiles. The Russian defense ministry said Ukraine's latest ATCMS strikes,

Russia continues its relentless missile bombardment and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities. While Ukrainians have successfully intercepted many drones and cruise missiles, ballistic missiles still pose a significant threat to vital targets.