Putin named modern Russian developments as the basis for the Oreshnik missiles

Russia's Oreshnik medium-range ballistic missiles are a new type of weapon and are based on modern Russian developments, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on December 19 during the "Results of the Year."

"This is a modern, very new weapon. Everything that is done in any sphere of activity is based on some previous developments, on previous achievements, and then people make a step forward. It's all the same thing with the Peanut. Yes, there have been developments, and, incidentally, developments of the Russian period of time," said the head of state, commenting on Western claims that "Oreshnik" is allegedly a modification of Soviet weapons.

At the stage of development of this system, scientists, engineers and designers thought about its capabilities and coordinated their position with the customer represented by the Ministry of Defense, Putin added.

The president specified that in the end the issue reached him and he took part in the final decision on the production of the Oreshnik systems, including the scale and timing of production.

The enemy has no chance of shooting down Oreshnik missiles, Putin pointed out, commenting on the opinion of some foreign experts that Western air defense systems can supposedly do so at the launch stage. He drew attention to the fact that the range of the Russian complex is up to 5,500 kilometers, and the separation of the warheads begins in just a few seconds.

The Russian leader proposed to these experts to organize a technological experiment - a kind of "high-tech duel of the XXI century" - in the course of which an object to be hit will be identified, where the work of air defense and missile defense forces will be concentrated, and the Russian military will strike there with the "Oreshnik", after which the result will be found out. Russia is ready for such an experiment, Putin noted.

Strip it down to "Oreshnik": Putin supported the adoption of the missile system into service

At a meeting with the developers, the president called this complex a guarantor of Russia's security

Putin announced the live test of the Oreshnik ballistic missile, one of Russia's newest medium-range missile systems, on Nov. 21. The step was taken in response to the escalation by Western countries in Ukraine. In the following days, the head of state clarified that Russia would continue testing and that a decision on the serial production of the missiles had already been made.

In early December, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko asked Putin to supply the country with Russian systems to launch the Oreshnik. The Russian president allowed their deployment in the republic in the second half of 2025.

The direct line with Vladimir Putin in 2024 is combined with a press conference for the media. The format called "Results of the Year with Vladimir Putin" allows the president to convey his position not only on citizens' issues, but also on the state and world agenda, which is often asked by journalists. Representatives of Western media and foreign journalists accredited in Russia have also received invitations to the events.

As of the morning of December 19, the number of requests sent to the direct line with the president exceeded 2 million. The first live broadcast was held in December 2001. By the President's own admission, this event is the most powerful sociological poll, which allows citizens to convey their position and assessment of the country's leadership.

The latest news about the "Results of the Year with Vladimir Putin - 2024" - in the Izvestia story.