Russian President Vladimir Putin has responded to US President Donald Trump’s nuclear submarine threat: Moscow has begun production of the new “Oreschnik” hypersonic missile, Putin said in an interview with Russian state media. The weapon is to be stationed in Belarus this year – on the border with NATO.

Putin made the announcement during a meeting with Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko at the Orthodox monastery of Valaam, near St. Petersburg. “The production lines are already up and running, we have started manufacturing the first Oreschnik systems,” Putin said. Russian and Belarusian armed forces have already selected specific launch bases on Belarusian territory.

Belarus is considered a loyal ally of the Kremlin and played a key role in the war against Ukraine. Several missile attacks on Ukrainian territory have been launched from Belarusian soil. Joint military maneuvers are now also routine.

The Oreschnik missile, whose range and speed have not yet been officially confirmed, is said to be capable of overwhelming Western defense systems, according to Russian sources. Western military experts see Putin’s move as a deliberate show of force, especially since it corresponds with an American provocation.

Threats reminiscent of the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis

Just a few hours earlier, US President Donald Trump had ordered several nuclear-armed submarines to head for Russian maritime borders. The message was unmistakable: Washington wanted to respond to threats of war from Moscow with strength – leading to a new peak in nuclear brinkmanship between the two superpowers, reminiscent of the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.

Whether the Oreschnik missiles will actually be deployed this year as announced remains to be seen. However, the geopolitical battle between Washington and Moscow has thus reached another explosive stage of escalation.

And these are the technical specifications of the new Oreschnik missile:

With the “Oreschnik” (English: “hazelnut”), Russia is deploying a new hypersonic missile that is alarming Western security experts.

The Oreschnik is said to reach speeds of Mach 9 to Mach 12 (over 11,000 km/h) and have agile maneuverability. This would make it nearly impossible for Western air defense systems such as the US Patriot or the Aegis system to intercept the missile.

Russian sources suggest that the Oreschnik has a scramjet (supersonic combustion chamber) that keeps it maneuverable over long distances in the hypersonic range. Its range is estimated at 2,000 to 3,000 kilometers, which would put almost the entire NATO territory in Central Europe within reach.

The Oreschnik is designed as a dual-use weapon. It can be equipped with both a nuclear warhead (up to 500 kilotons) and a conventional warhead. Its flexibility in use makes it a strategic wild card for the Kremlin.

The Oreschnik is to be launched from mobile launch pads (MAZ vehicles) as well as from stationary silos in Belarus. This mobility makes it difficult for satellites and reconnaissance drones to detect it in time before a possible missile launch.

With the Oreschnik, Russia is continuing to advance its hypersonic weapons program. The air-launched Kinzhal and the gliding Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle are already in service. Experts see the Oreschnik as a further development of these systems, with a focus on shorter response times and deployment in European theaters of war.

Western military circles warn: “The Oreschnik is not merely a demonstration of power – it is a tactical attack system that effectively eliminates the security distance between NATO countries and the Russian border,” according to a high-ranking NATO representative.

Credits: APA