Russia has no more than 3-4 Oreshnik missiles — intelligence
This was announced in an interview with Ukrinform by Oleh Luhovskyi, First Deputy Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine.
“According to our estimates, Russia has no more than 3-4 such missiles. We know that the Russian Ministry of Defense plans to put Oreshnik into serial production in 2026 and acquire the capacity to manufacture five or more such missiles per year,” he said.
When asked what Ukraine should expect in this regard, Luhovskyi emphasized that “Oreshnik has more political than military significance.”
“It is primarily a tool to intimidate our partners in Europe. And its combat effectiveness is questionable. Oreshnik is based on last century's technology and requires constant technical support and prompt troubleshooting,” he said.
Luhovskyi also said that the FISU is actively cooperating with the intelligence services of partner countries on the issue of Oreshnik to achieve a common objective assessment and avoid Russian and Belarusian disinformation.
As reported by Ukrinform, explosions were heard in Lviv on the night of January 9 this year. Enemies hit a critical infrastructure facility. At the time of the strike, a missile threat was declared throughout Ukraine due to the danger of the Russian army using ballistic missiles from the Kapustin Yar training ground, where, according to preliminary information, the Oreshnik complex is based.
Ukraine's Air Force reported that the hostile target was moving at a speed of 13,000 kilometers per hour.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said NATO is seeking opportunities to provide Ukraine with additional anti-missile capabilities.
On December 13, 2025, former FISU head Oleg Ivashchenko told Ukrinform that Russia had deployed the Oreshnik medium-range ballistic missile in Belarus, targeting Europe.
On December 26, 2025, Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin said that his country had deployed the Oreshnik missile system in response to “Western aggression.”
