Putin Greenlights Oreshnik Missile Full Production to Counter NATO in Europe

Russia has officially begun full-scale production of its new intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) system, named Oreshnik, in what many analysts are calling a bold escalation in Moscow’s strategic posturing toward NATO and the West. On June 23, 2025, President Vladimir Putin announced the launch of serial production during a nationally televised address to military academy graduates, framing the missile as a key component in Russia’s growing arsenal amid deteriorating arms control agreements.

The Oreshnik missile, though newly named, is widely believed to be a reworked version of the RS-26 Rubezh, a solid-fueled, road-mobile missile that had been shelved in the past due to funding issues. Now revived and modernized, the Oreshnik carries chilling implications. Capable of speeds exceeding Mach 10 and a range of up to 5,000 kilometers, the missile can strike targets across most of Europe with little warning. It is believed to carry multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs), each possibly armed with submunitions, and can be launched from highly mobile platforms, making it both elusive and deadly.

Oreshnik’s first real-world use came in November 2024, when it was launched in a conventional configuration against Ukraine’s Yuzhmash defense-industrial facility in Dnipro. Though the missile appeared to cause only limited damage, the strike was widely interpreted as a political message rather than a military necessity. Experts noted that even an inert hypersonic missile can cause significant destruction due to its kinetic energy alone. The attack was meant to showcase capabilities—especially to Western audiences—rather than to destroy a specific target.

Now that the missile is in full production, discussions are underway to deploy it more widely. Russian military experts suggest that Oreshnik brigades could be stationed within every combined arms or tank army. The missile's mobility, short active flight time, and ability to avoid interception make it a formidable threat to NATO's forward bases. Russian analysts have already suggested that Belarus may be among the first foreign territories to host the missile system, likely by the end of 2025, further shortening strike times against European capitals.

This escalation comes as the last remaining arms control agreements between Russia and the United States crumble. The INF Treaty, which banned intermediate-range land-based missiles, collapsed in 2019, and Russia suspended participation in the New START Treaty in 2023. Russian officials claim their restraint has gone unreciprocated by the West, leading to the reactivation of previously mothballed missile programs like Oreshnik.

Putin has justified these moves by arguing that NATO’s growing presence near Russia’s borders and the influx of Western weapons into Ukraine are fueling an arms race. He insists the development of Oreshnik and other advanced platforms—like the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle and modernized Yars ICBMs—is Russia’s sovereign response to what he calls a fabricated “Russian threat” narrative. He also emphasized that Russia’s focus will continue on enhancing its nuclear triad, strategic naval capabilities, and even establishing new unmanned forces.

Beyond Europe, Oreshnik’s range and mobility could give Russia a wider global reach. Analysts speculate it might eventually be deployed in the Far East to counterbalance developments in the Indo-Pacific, particularly U.S. and allied activities near China and Taiwan.

International reactions to Russia’s actions have been swift and alarmed. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the missile’s use a dangerous escalation, and NATO countries have condemned the Dnipro strike and the subsequent ramp-up in production. The NATO–Ukraine Council labeled the move an intimidation tactic aimed not only at Ukraine but at the alliance as a whole.

Military experts warn that the deployment of conventionally armed ballistic missiles that resemble nuclear-capable systems carries an enormous risk of miscalculation. In high-tension scenarios, adversaries could mistakenly assume a nuclear launch is underway, triggering unintended and potentially catastrophic responses. With traditional arms control frameworks now in disarray, the risk of such misinterpretations only grows.

The unveiling and mass production of Oreshnik represent more than just a new weapon—it signals Russia’s deeper strategic pivot toward missile-based deterrence and power projection. As tensions between Moscow and the West continue to simmer, Oreshnik stands as both a technological achievement and a stark warning of the dangers of a world drifting further from the stability once promised by arms control.