Russia fired a new type of missile at Ukraine. It is fast, can carry nuclear weapons and can strike far into Europe.

• Russia fired what it says is a new type of ballistic missile at Ukraine this week.

• Putin called the missile the “Oreshnik” and said it had a “non-nuclear hypersonic warhead.”

• Ukraine described the attack as a “serious escalation.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that his military had fired a new type of missile at Ukraine, describing it as a test and also a warning to the West.

Putin called the missile the “Oreshnik” and said it carried a “non-nuclear hypersonic warhead” and hit a military-industrial site in Ukraine’s eastern city of Dnipro.

He also said the device could reach a speed of Mach 10, ten times the speed of sound.

The missile, described by the US as experimental, appears to have the range to hit targets elsewhere in Europe.

Here’s what we know about the missile and what it could mean for the war and the West.

An experimental rocket

Putin said the ‘Oreshnik’ missile cannot be stopped, although he and Russian officials have made similar claims in the past about other weaponry that proved far from foolproof.

Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh called the missile “experimental” because it was the first time it had been used on the battlefield in Ukraine.

She said it was an intermediate-range ballistic missile based on the Russian RS-26 Rubezh model, and that it had a non-nuclear payload but could be re-equipped to carry different types of “conventional or nuclear warheads” .

Some military analysts dispute the classification of the RS-26 as an intercontinental ballistic missile, arguing that it falls between an ICBM and an intermediate-range missile. As BI previously reported, an ICBM has never been used in combat.

Missile experts said the “Oreshnik” appeared to carry a MIRV, or multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle, which can carry multiple warheads.

A greater reach

The possible range of the missile is important. According to the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, intermediate-range missiles can travel up to 3,000 kilometers, while medium-range missiles can travel up to 5,410 kilometers.

The RS-26 has a range of up to 6,000 kilometers, reports The Financial Times.

Matthew Savill of Britain’s Royal United Services Institute told the Associated Press that the range was “far greater than anything we have seen in the conflict and possibly the first ever use in combat.”

Meanwhile, former Australian Army Major General Mick Ryan described the attack as “a political attack and not a military one,” but wrote on X that an intermediate-range missile “could be used against virtually any target in Europe and the United Kingdom. “

However, the first rocket attack was minimal. The local mayor said it damaged a rehabilitation center, knocked out windows and destroyed a boiler room.

A threat to the West

It is not clear to what extent this latest strike represents an escalation in practical terms.

An unnamed US official told the BBC that Russia likely only has a handful of these missiles. And they said Ukraine had already suffered significant missile attacks, including attacks with nuclear warheads much larger than this one.

Jakub Janda, director of the European Values ​​Center for Security Policy, told BI that the move was Russia’s attempt to intimidate the West by withholding more support from Ukraine at a “critical” moment.

“From the Russian side, this is just cognitive warfare,” he said.

Meanwhile, Pavel Podvig, a senior researcher at the UN Institute for Disarmament Research, wrote on low accuracy and high costs.”

“But these types of strikes can have a signaling value.”

A nuclear hint

Putin described the attack as a response to Ukraine’s use of US- and British-supplied missiles on Russian territory this week.

He said Russia “had the right” to attack countries that gave Ukraine weapons that hit Russia.

But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called it “a clear and serious escalation” and called for global condemnation.

“Russia must be forced to real peace, which can only be achieved through strength,” he added.

At the same time, the attack may have been intended to indicate a nuclear threat.

Fabian Hoffmann of the Oslo Nuclear Project told Reuters that Russia chose a missile with a MIRV payload “for signaling purposes” because “this payload is exclusively associated with nuclear-capable missiles.”

Ryan, the former Australian officer, said Putin wanted to send a message to Europe about Russia’s capabilities and signal to the US ahead of the presidential transition that it should not give Ukraine advanced capabilities.

But in a statement to BI, NATO spokesman Farah Dakhlallah said the Russian attack “will not change the course of the conflict nor deter NATO allies from supporting Ukraine.”

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