Ukrainian forensic experts have severely challenged the Kremlin’s strategic narrative surrounding its hypersonic, nuclear-capable “Oreshnik“ intermediate-range ballistic missile, demonstrating that the weapon is nearly a decade old and contains zero Western-sourced electronic components, Reuters reported.
An ‘experimental’ weapon made in 2017
According to technical analysis conducted by Ukrainian rocket-forensic specialists, material fragments recovered following a major Russian attack on a gas depot in the Lviv region in early January 2026 definitively pinpoint the weapon’s manufacturing timeline.
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The data indicates that the specific Oreshnik missile deployed in the strike was assembled back in 2017, using individual electronic components manufactured in 2016 or even earlier.
“We were somewhat surprised because they say it is a very new missile, but if you look at the year of manufacture, it indicates 2017,” the expert said.
The physical evidence sharply undermines public assertions made by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has consistently lauded the Oreshnik as a “state-of-the-art” device that does not rely on the modernization of legacy Soviet-era architectures.
Instead, the forensic data aligns with earlier assessments from the US Department of Defense, which classified the Oreshnik as an experimental, ground-based system heavily derived from Russia’s older RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) project.
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