Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service has revealed that Russia possesses no more than three to four Oreshnik missiles, First Deputy Head Oleh Luhovskyi said in an interview with Ukrinform.
The agency has also learned that Russia's Ministry of Defense plans to begin serial production of the Oreshnik in 2026, with an output of at least five missiles per year.
"The Oreshnik has more political than military content. This is primarily a tool for intimidating our partners in Europe. And it has dubious combat effectiveness. The Oreshnik is built on last century's technologies and requires constant technical support and prompt elimination of various malfunctions," Luhovskyi said.
The deputy head said that Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service actively cooperates with foreign intelligence agencies to obtain a shared objective picture and avoid Russian and Belarusian disinformation.
Russian forces have used the Oreshnik—a medium-range ballistic missile and nuclear weapon carrier—twice against Ukraine. On the evening of 8 January and through the night, Russian troops launched 36 missiles and 242 drones of various types at Ukraine, including one Oreshnik that struck Lviv. Russia explained this as a "response" to "Ukraine's attack" on Russian President Vladimir Putin's residence.
The first documented use occurred on the morning of 21 November 2024, when Russian forces attacked Dnipro with missiles of various types. Both the United States and Russia confirmed that an Oreshnik was among them.
Putin has previously announced the start of serial production of Oreshnik systems while claiming that Russia threatens no one: "Russia, like all other nuclear states, is developing its nuclear, strategic potential. Everything we are talking about now is long-announced work."
