The Russian ballistic missile Oreshnik, according to British military intelligence, is a modification of the Rubezh RS-26 strategic missile system, first tested back in 2011. A press release from the British Defense Ministry, published on the X social network, notes that the development of this system probably began before Russia's official withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) in 2019.

According to its technical characteristics, the Oreshnik belongs to the category of medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBM) with a range of 3 to 000 kilometers. During the recent strike on a target in Dnepr, the missile covered more than 5 kilometers, demonstrating high accuracy. The missile is reportedly equipped with a payload of 500 submunitions divided into six groups. Such a structure suggests the possibility of simultaneous strikes on several targets.

British intelligence claims that the use of the Oreshnik against Ukraine was aimed at demonstrating technological superiority in response to strikes by Western weapons, including missiles used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces against Russian facilities. However, London notes that Russia probably has a limited number of such missiles, since their serial production has not yet been established.

At the same time, Russia previously stated that the Russian hypersonic ballistic missile "Oreshnik" is a fundamentally new development.