What we know about the Oleshnik missilePublished November 22nd at 17:18 GMT
Robert Greall
BBC News
image source, Getty ImagesYars M intercontinental ballistic missile. Some analysts say the missile used in Dnipro could be a scaled-down version of this
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday gave some details about the new powerful missile that struck Dnipro earlier in the day – calling it Oreshnik, or Hazel Tree.
He said the weapon traveled at Mach 10, or 10 times the speed of sound, and “there was no way to counter this weapon.”
But beyond Putin’s explanation, there appears to be no clear consensus on what it actually is.
Ukrainian military intelligence claims it was an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) known as Kedor (Cedar). A Russian military analyst told Izvestia newspaper that it could be a scaled-down version of this.
But U.S. officials say such a missile launch would have triggered a nuclear alert in Washington.
Meanwhile, another expert told the newspaper that the missile could be based on the short-range Iskander missile, already in common use in Ukraine, but equipped with a new generation solid-fuel engine. It states that there is.
If it were an intermediate-range missile, as Putin says, it would have a range of 2,500-3,000 km (1,550-1,860 miles), potentially extending to 5,000 km. This would put almost all of Europe within range.
