Covert Operation: Ukraine Claims Destruction of Russian Oreshnik Missile Before Its Combat Debut

On Friday, Ukraine’s president and security officials announced that they had clandestinely eliminated one of Russia’s new nuclear-capable Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missiles within Russian territory, just before the weapon was set to be used in combat.

Vasyl Maliuk, the head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), stated that Ukrainian forces executed a «100% successful» covert mission at a missile testing site in the Astrakhan region.

«One of the three Oreshnik missiles was effectively destroyed on their territory at Kapustin Yar,» he reportedly said during a press conference in Kyiv.

There are discrepancies regarding the timing of the operation. Reuters cited President Volodymyr Zelensky, suggesting it took place in the summer of 2023, whereas the Kyiv Independent referenced Maliuk, who indicated it happened in the summer of 2024.

The Moscow Times has been unable to independently confirm either version. Similarly, Reuters noted they could not verify the assertion on their own.

Maliuk mentioned that the strike was conducted by the SBU in collaboration with the HUR military intelligence agency and foreign intelligence organizations.

During the briefing, Zelensky added that Ukrainian intelligence assesses that Russia is capable of producing as many as six Oreshnik missiles annually.

Russia first deployed the Oreshnik in a strike against the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro in November 2024.

President Vladimir Putin has claimed, though skeptics question this, that the ballistic missile is uncatchable and carries destructive power akin to a nuclear weapon.

Reports indicate that Zelensky has urged Western nations to impose sanctions on the 25 Russian companies involved in the Oreshnik missile program, citing that its long-range capabilities threaten Europe.

Moscow has promised to station Oreshnik missiles in Belarus, which shares borders with Ukraine and NATO member countries.