Vladimir Putin’s new ‘miracle weapon’ caused little damage when he unleashed it on Ukraine, satellite images show, despite Russian claims that a defense factory in Dnipro was ‘wiped to dust’.
Furious pro-war Russian military experts are questioning whether they have been misled by Putin’s boastful claims about the ‘unstoppable’ Oreshnik.
Dramatic footage showed the weapon releasing six separate nuclear warheads during an attack on the Yuzhmash factory, also known as Pivdenmash.
Putin claims the missile is “unstoppable” by Western and Ukrainian air defenses, and has promised to increase production of the weapon after Thursday’s launch.
The despot added that the new weapon was ten times the speed of sound, leaving Ukrainian air defenses powerless to shoot it down.
Russian sources said the range was 3,100 miles, with defense officials pointing out that this would allow it to strike anywhere in Europe and the west coast of the United States.
Russian reports suggested that Dnipro’s defense factory had been ‘completely destroyed’ and that a ‘black hole’ had formed at the site of the attack.
But the Kyiv Post reported: “The images do not support Russian claims that the factory has been ‘obliterated to dust’.”
BEFORE: The location of the Dnipro facility that Putin’s forces targeted with their new Oreshnik missile
AFTER: Satellite images appear to show limited damage to the facility after Thursday’s strike
Photos show Putin’s new Oreshnik hypersonic superweapon attacking a defense factory in Dnipro, Ukraine on November 21, 2024
Security camera footage from the central-eastern city of Dnipro showed several projectiles shooting inwards and detonating in a series of violent, fiery explosions
Russian war blogger Romanov Light complained: ‘Satellite images of Yuzhmash have surfaced after an attack by Oreshnik.
‘The workshops remain intact. Nothing is ‘reduced to dust’.
‘However, it appears that the private residential area above has suffered some damage.’
Putin said: ‘Modern air defense systems cannot intercept such missiles. That is impossible… There are no means to date to counter such a weapon.’
The hypersonic missile could hit Britain 20 minutes after launch.
Putin said the non-nuclear Mach 10 hypersonic attack on Dnipro was a test and the launch was a “success.”
The Oreshnik was unleashed in response to Ukraine’s use of American and British missiles to hit Russian territory, he said, referring to ATACMS and Storm Shadow.
Putin claimed that US and British military personnel were behind the targeted and damaging attacks.
“Experts are well aware, and the Russian side has repeatedly emphasized this, that it is impossible to use such weapons without the direct involvement of military specialists from the countries that produce such weapons,” Putin said.
Parts of a ballistic missile that Russia used in an attack on the city of Dnipro last week are on display at a secret location in Ukraine during Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
In revenge, one of the largest and most famous industrial complexes of Soviet times was struck on the territory of Ukraine, in the city (Dnipro), which even today produces missile equipment and other weapons….
“I repeat: we are conducting live tests of the Oreshnik missile system in response to the aggressive actions of NATO countries against it.”
Some Russian sources claim that the purpose was to demonstrate the power of the weapon and show its accuracy and speed.
Others said the Oreshnik would cause underground damage that might not be visible on the surface.
Russian forces carried out their largest ever drone strike on Ukraine overnight, knocking out power to much of the western Ternopil region and damaging residential buildings in the Kiev region, Ukrainian officials said on Tuesday.
Intensified nighttime drone strikes on Ukrainian cities coincide with a major push by Russia along the frontlines in eastern Ukraine, where Russian forces have made some of the biggest monthly territorial gains since 2022.
Of the 188 drones used overnight, Ukraine shot down 76 and lost sight of 96, likely due to active electronic warfare, the air force said. Five drones headed towards Belarus.
“The enemy launched a record number of Shahed attack UAVs and unidentified drones…,” the report said. Russia uses cheaply produced ‘suicide drones’ and cheap ‘decoy’ drones, which undermine Ukraine’s air defenses.
“Unfortunately, critical infrastructure facilities were affected and private and apartment buildings were damaged in several regions as a result of the massive drone attack,” an air force statement said, adding that no casualties were reported.
This is when missiles, believed to be British Storm Shadow missiles, struck Russia
As the air war in the conflict intensifies, a top NATO official warned yesterday that Russian ground forces are expanding.
The chairman of NATO’s Military Committee, Dutch Admiral Rob Bauer, said Moscow’s land forces are now larger than when the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.
But “the quality of those forces has deteriorated,” he said, referring to the state of the force’s equipment and the training level of its soldiers.
“Right now, the Russians do not pose the same threat as they did in February 2022, so we have some time to prepare,” he said, adding that this meant increasing investment in the defense industry.
NATO is expected to hold emergency talks with Kiev today to discuss the escalation of the conflict, which has seen around 10,000 North Korean troops deployed to support Russian forces.
Soldiers sent by Pyongyang are believed to be in Russia’s Kursk region, which is partly occupied by Ukraine, and will be ready to engage in combat in Ukraine “soon,” US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said.
Meanwhile, Britain has urged Kiev’s allies to continue supporting its fight against Russia, with Foreign Secretary David Lammy today telling G7 countries to support and equip Ukraine for as long as necessary.