Key developments on Dec. 27: * Russia's new Oreshnik missile relies on Western manufacturing technology, FT reports * 3 senior Russian officers killed in HIMARS, drone attack, Ukraine's military intelligence says * Ukraine working to extend basic training to 2 months, Syrskyi says * Russia ramps up production of Shahed drones, decoys at Tatarstan
According to the Financial Times, developers of the Oreshnik posted job listings in 2024 that specified expertise in operating German and Japanese metalworking systems.
"If the Russians want to deploy more, we will deploy more," Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko said.
Key developments on Dec. 19: * Zelensky blasts Putin’s Oreshnik threats, calling him ‘dumbass’ * Zelensky dismisses ceasefire as Putin’s ploy to regroup, seeks coordinated peace plan * Ukraine strikes 'only oil refinery operating' in Russia's Rostov Oblast, military says * Putin acknowledges sanctions have impact on Russia's economy * Ukraine’s Special
At a press conference in Brussels on Dec. 19, President Volodymyr Zelensky blasted Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent threats of using the new Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile against Kyiv to test Western air defense systems in what he called a "high-tech duel" with the West.
Speaking during his annual press conference and a call-in program, Vladimir Putin again claimed that Russia's "new" Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) cannot be intercepted by air defenses.
Large-scale production of Russia's nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile is a goal for "the near future," Putin alleged at a defense ministry board meeting on Dec. 16.
Key developments on Dec. 13: * Russia launches one of the largest aerial attacks on Ukraine's energy grid * Ukraine resisting Russian encirclement attempts at 4 Donetsk Oblast villages, military says * Ukraine's new Ground Forces chief announces reforms focused on personnel, tech * Russia mulls attacking Ukraine with Oreshnik nuclear-capable missile this weekend,
The unnamed official said that Russia wanted to use the weapon to intimidate Ukraine and its supporters, but the Oreshnik "does not change the rules of the game on the battlefield."
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko sign a security pact, announcing the potential deployment of Russian Oreshnik missiles in Belarus. Lukashenko frees 29 more political prisoners amid an ongoing pre-election civil society clampdown. Exiled Belarusian activists to face a record 17 in absentia charges for aiding
Key developments on Dec. 11: * Russia continues to suffer record losses in December, Zelensky says * Ukraine has arms to resist at least until mid-2025 if US cuts aid, finance minister says * Russian proxies sentence 9 Azovstal defenders to 24 years, life in prison * Russia may launch new Oreshnik missile against
Washington still sees the experimental Oreshnik missile more as "an attempt at intimidation than a game-changer on the battlefield in Ukraine," a U.S. official said.
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko asked Russian President Vladimir Putin on Dec. 6 to deploy Oreshnik missile systems in Belarus, a weapon Russia recently used to strike Ukraine, Russian state-controlled news agency RIA Novosti reported.
Russian General Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the General Staff of the Russian army, held a rare phone call with U.S. General Charles Q. Brown Jr., the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on Nov. 27, The New York Times reported on Dec. 4, citing official sources.
The propaganda offensive was coordinated between government, military, and intelligence officials, as well as PR experts, the Moscow Times wrote.
Vladimir Putin's talks of a potential nuclear strike "gradually lead to an increase in the proportion of (Russians) who believe it is acceptable, in fact, morally justified," Russian sociologist Alexey Levinson said.
"Putin wants to escalate the situation now so that President Trump fails to end the war," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Speaking at the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) summit in Astana, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia's military leadership is now "choosing targets" in Ukraine to hit them with Oreshnik.
The NATO-Ukraine Council convened at a meeting on Nov. 26 in response to Russia's use of the intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), "Oreshnik", the NATO alliance said in a news release.
"The world has air defense systems capable of countering such threats," Zelensky said, referring to Russia's new Oreshnik ballistic missile. Experts are currently analyzing the wreckage of the weapon, he said.
Over the past week, Russia has launched over 800 KAB-guided aerial bombs, nearly 460 attack drones, and more than 20 missiles, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Nov. 24.
As Vladimir Putin boasted the new Oreshnik nuclear-capable intermediate-range ballistic missile, sparking renewed fears of nuclear escalation, an independent Russian outlet, Mediazona, reported nearly 2,700 additional Russian military deaths in Ukraine over the past two weeks.
The Oreshnik nuclear-capable intermediate-range ballistic missile was likely a modification of Russia's RS-26 Rubezh missile, he said.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has directed Defense Minister Rustem Umerov to engage with partners on acquiring advanced air defense systems, according to Zelensky’s statement on Nov. 22.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Nov. 21 announced his country had launched a new type of missile in an attack on Ukraine, a demonstration of military might meant to deter Kyiv's allies from further support against his full-scale invasion. "There are currently no ways of countering this weapon. The missiles
Russia gave the U.S. a brief advance warning of the intermediate-range ballistic missile strike on Ukraine prior to the attack, according to comments a U.S. administration official made at a briefing on Nov. 21.
Key developments on Nov. 21: * Russia used new 'Oreshnik' intermediate-range ballistic missile against Ukraine, Putin says * Ukrainian UAVs reportedly strike Russian border regions, industrial facility hit * Hungary deploys air defenses near Ukraine, cites war escalation after US allows strikes in Russia * Russian troops suspected of executing Ukrainian POWs in Kursk
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that during the Nov. 21 strike on Dnipro, Russia tested a new intermediate-range ballistic missile — Oreshnik (Hazel).
Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a televised address that the attack was a test of Russia's "newest missile," an IRBM called "Oreshnik."
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