Ukraine Says It Destroyed Russia’s Oreshnik Missile in 2023 Covert Operation

Ukraine destroyed one of Russia’s intermediate-range Oreshnik missiles during a special operation in the summer of 2023, the head of the SBU security service, Vasyl Maliuk, said on Friday.

Maliuk told reporters that the operation was conducted jointly by the SBU, GUR military intelligence, and Ukraine’s foreign intelligence service, describing it as “100 percent successful.” Reuters has not independently verified the claim.

Russia reportedly used the Oreshnik — meaning “hazel tree” in Russian — for the first time against Ukraine in November 2024, targeting a defense enterprise in Dnipro, more than a year after Kyiv’s alleged destruction of one of the missiles.

“We can say briefly and concisely that one of the three Oreshniks was successfully destroyed on Russian territory at Kapustin Yar,” Maliuk said during a briefing chaired by President Volodymyr Zelensky, which was also attended by Ukraine’s foreign minister and intelligence chiefs. He did not provide details on how the operation was carried out.

Ukrainian intelligence officials said Russia produced three Oreshnik missiles this year and plans to double production to six annually. Zelensky said 25 companies are involved in Oreshnik production and called on Western partners to impose sanctions on them.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed the Oreshnik is “impossible to intercept” and possesses destructive power comparable to a nuclear weapon, though Western experts have questioned those assertions. Putin said in June that Russia was ramping up production but did not elaborate.

The Oreshnik system featured in recent joint Russian-Belarusian military drills. Belarus, a key Russian ally, confirmed this week that it would deploy the missile system on its territory bordering Ukraine in December.