Ukraine’s president and security services said Friday they had secretly destroyed one of Russia’s new nuclear-capable Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missiles inside Russian territory before Moscow debuted the weapon in combat.
Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) chief Vasyl Maliuk said Ukrainian forces carried out a “100% successful” covert operation at a missile testing range in the Astrakhan region.
“One of the three Oreshniks was successfully destroyed on their territory at Kapustin Yar,” he was quoted as saying at a press briefing in Kyiv.
Accounts of the operation’s timing differ. Reuters quoted President Volodymyr Zelensky as saying it occurred in the summer of 2023, while the Kyiv Independent cited Maliuk as placing it in the summer of 2024.
The Moscow Times could not independently verify either report. Reuters also said it could not independently verify the claim.
Maliuk said the strike was conducted by the SBU alongside the HUR military intelligence agency and foreign intelligence services.
Zelensky, who chaired the briefing, said Ukrainian intelligence believes Russia can produce up to six Oreshnik missiles per year.
Russia first used Oreshnik during a strike on the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro in November 2024.
President Vladimir Putin has, to the skepticism of analysts, claimed the ballistic missile is impossible to intercept and possesses nuclear weapon-like destructive power.
Zelensky reportedly urged Western governments to sanction the 25 Russian companies involved in developing the Oreshnik missile program, saying its long-range capabilities pose risks for Europe.
Moscow has vowed to deploy Oreshnik to Belarus, which borders Ukraine and NATO member states.
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