Russia’s Hypersonic Oreshnik Missile Sparks Alarm Over Potential NATO Targets in Europe
MIKHAIL METZEL/SPUTNIK/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
A map reportedly circulating on Russian propaganda channels has sparked concern, showing the potential reach of Russia’s newly unveiled hypersonic missile, the Oreshnik (Hazel Tree), which could strike U.S. military assets in Europe within minutes.
Anton Gerashchenko, a former adviser to Ukraine’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, shared the map on X, formerly Twitter, stating, “Russia continues its efforts to intimidate Europe with Oreshnik.”
The map highlights how the Oreshnik missile if launched from Belarus, could hit a U.S. Air Force base in southern Romania in just 5.5 minutes and another base in Poland in 3.2 minutes. Several European capitals, including Paris and London, are reportedly within range, with travel times of under nine minutes.
Though the missile’s range—5,500 km (3,418 miles)—falls short of reaching the U.S. mainland, it poses a significant threat to U.S. military installations in Europe, as well as assets in the Middle East and Gulf states.
The Oreshnik missile was first unveiled on November 21, during a strike on a Ukrainian industrial facility in Dnipro. Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence directorate reported that the missile, launched from Astrakhan, Russia, traveled to its target in just 15 minutes, reaching speeds exceeding Mach 11 (8,400 miles per hour).
Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed the launch as a “successful test,” boasting about the missile’s capabilities. “Modern air defense systems, including those being developed by the Americans in Europe, cannot intercept such missiles,” Putin said during a televised address.
He added: “No countermeasures currently exist against the Oreshnik, which is able to strike targets at a speed of Mach 10,” or approximately 3,430 meters per second. Putin warned that Russia would target the military facilities of countries aiding Ukraine, describing it as Russia’s “right to defend its national security.”
Further alarm was raised when Putin confirmed plans to deploy the Oreshnik missiles in Belarus by 2025, at the request of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Putin’s closest European ally.
On Tuesday, Lukashenko announced that “a few dozen” of the hypersonic missiles had already been transferred to Belarus. During a visit to a production facility in Borisov, he also revealed that MZKT, a state-owned vehicle manufacturer, would begin producing launch systems for the Oreshnik missiles in the second half of 2025.
The missile’s deployment signals a further escalation of military tensions in Europe, highlighting Russia’s growing reliance on advanced weapons systems to assert its influence and intimidate NATO allies. With Putin touting its unstoppable nature, the Oreshnik is now a focal point of geopolitical concern across the continent.
