Russia wants to mass produce 'Oreshnik' missiles, says message to US is clear

Russia plans to mass produce the “Oreshnik” intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with Russian Defense Ministry officials on Friday, as reported by the Kyiv Independent. 

Moscow used the missile to attack the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Thursday. Ukrainian forces maintain that it is an intercontinental ballistic missile, though US and Russian forces called it an IRBM. 

"I will add that there is no countermeasure to such a missile, no means of intercepting it, in the world today," the Kremlin chief claimed in a Thursday address to the nation. "And I will emphasize once again that we will continue testing this newest system. It is necessary to establish serial production."

According to Reuters, Putin added that Russia has "a stock of such products, a stock of such systems ready for use. "

A US official told Reuters that Russia has a limited number of weapons like these and that this is not a capability that it can regularly deploy on the battlefield. 

New frontiers in the war

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukrainian forces were working to develop new air defense systems to counter future attacks similar to the one on Thursday.

"On my behalf, the Minister of Defence of Ukraine is already holding meetings with our partners regarding new air defense systems capable of protecting lives from new risks," Reuters quoted Zelensky as saying. "When someone starts using other countries not only for terror but also for testing their new missiles through acts of terror, then this is clearly an international crime." 

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday there was "no doubt" that the Biden administration would understand its messaging with the new missile, as reported by The Moscow Times. 

According to the Times, Peskov told Russian reporters that Putin's messaging was “comprehensive, clear and logical."

He reportedly added that the key takeaway from Thursday's attack was that "the reckless decisions and actions of Western countries — which produce missiles, supply them to Ukraine, and subsequently take part in carrying out strikes on Russian territory — cannot go unanswered."

"We believe that we have the right to use our weapons against military facilities of the countries that allow to use their weapons against our facilities," Putin said in his address. 

Security experts said the most innovative feature of "Oreshnik" was that it carried multiple warheads capable of hitting different targets at the same time. The official told Reuters that this is something usually associated with longer-range intercontinental ballistic missiles designed to carry nuclear warheads.

While these escalations caused initial international concern, the White House Press Secretary said the US had seen no indication that Russia would use nuclear weapons against Ukraine.  

"We haven’t seen any indications of Russia preparing to use a nuclear weapon in Ukraine," said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre to reporters at a briefing on Friday. "This war can end today, and you hear us say this over and over again — it can — if Russia would stop, the war would stop — what they’re doing with their aggression. "

Russia adjusted its nuclear doctrine earlier this month to attack with nuclear weapons if attacked by a non-nuclear country, but Jean-Pierre said during the briefing that the Biden administration has "not seen any reason to adjust our own nuclear posture or doctrine in response to Russia’s statements."

Zelensky called for a "serious response" internationally so that Putin would not expand the war. 

"There is no other way in war," he said in a video message on his Telegram channel. "We must be aware that 'comrade' Putin will keep trying to intimidate us. That is how he built all his power."

"It is important to know how to respond correctly and do everything possible to bring this war back home to Russia, and to make them feel there what war is." 

Reuters contributed to this report.