Russia could soon launch a second strike with the experimental missile it says can’t be intercepted: Pentagon

Putin said in late November that Russia would continue to test the Oreshnik in “combat conditions,” and the US has said Moscow could launch a second strike soon.

Moscow could launch a second strike on Ukraine with its experimental Oreshnik missile in the next few days, the Pentagon said on Wednesday.

“Putin has said publicly that Russia intends to launch another experimental Oreshnik missile,” said Sabrina Singh, the deputy press secretary for the Pentagon, at a press briefing.

“It’s possible that Russia could do it in the coming days. I don’t have an exact date for you,” she added while addressing reporters’ questions.

Singh said the warning was based on an “intelligence assessment” but declined to elaborate.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin unveiled the new weapon’s identity in late November, saying the Kremlin launched the Oreshnik for the first time in Ukraine.

Moscow says the Oreshnik can fly as fast as Mach 10, or 10 times the speed of sound, and that it can’t be intercepted by the US defense systems provided to Ukraine. Some other hypersonic weapons previously touted by Russia as “unstoppable” have been taken down.

Still, the Oreshnik drew global attention because its range is believed to be far longer than anything else used in the war. Weapons of its range class typically fly up to 3,410 miles, meaning they can essentially strike anywhere in Europe.

Russia also says it can carry a nuclear payload, though the one fired in November — which struck an old missile-manufacturing plant in Dnipro — carried a cluster of conventional warheads that were relatively weaker than other explosives used before. Dnipro authorities said there were no fatalities in the attack.

Russia has used its new Oreshnik missile in Ukraine.

Analysts have suggested the Oreshnik is a variant of an already-known ballistic missile, the Rubezh RS-26.

Still, Putin has described the Oreshnik as a destructive powerhouse, saying it can carry warheads that reach more than 7,000 degrees Fahrenheit. If multiple Oreshniks are fired at the same time, the damage could equal the destruction of a nuclear strike, he also said.

Russia has threatened the use of the Oreshnik if the US and its allies keep allowing Ukraine to strike Russian soil with long-range artillery.

Yet the US has been publicly dismissive of its impact on strategic decisions.

“I think the point of us getting out this information is to also ensure that, you know, this is not going to be a silver bullet change to the battlefield. The war is going to continue and our support for Ukraine is going to continue,” Singh said on Wednesday.

Some analysts believe Russia only has a handful of Oreshnik missiles, but it’s unclear how quickly Moscow can produce them. The country is set to pour nearly a third of its federal budget into defense next year and has overwhelmingly focused the national economy on its weapons industry as it tries to withstand international sanctions.