Ukraine destroyed one Oreshnik missile in Russia in summer 2023, SBU says

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

Vasyl Maliuk told reporters the operation was carried out jointly by SBU, GUR military intelligence, and foreign intelligence, adding that it was “100% successful”.

Reuters was unable to independently verify the report.

Russia first used the Oreshnik – hazel tree in Russian – missile against Ukraine in November 2024, targeting a defence enterprise in Dnipro, more than a year after Kyiv’s purported destruction of one of the missiles.

“We can say briefly and concisely that one of the three Oreshniks was successfully destroyed on their (Russian) territory at Kapustin Yar…,” Maliuk said during a briefing chaired by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and also attended by Ukraine’s foreign minister, the head of foreign intelligence and other officials.

Maliuk gave no details of how the operation was conducted.

Ukraine’s intelligence officials said Russia produced three Oreshniks this year and planned to double annual production to six.

Zelenskiy said 25 companies were involved in Oreshnik production and urged Ukraine’s Western partners to impose sanctions on them.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the Oreshnik is impossible to intercept and has destructive power comparable to a nuclear weapon, though Western experts have questioned these assertions. Putin said in June Russia was stepping up production but gave no details.

Oreshnik missiles featured in joint Russian-Belarusian military exercises last month. This week Belarus, a key ally of Russia, confirmed it would deploy the Oreshnik missile system on its territory, which borders Ukraine, in December.

(Reporting by Olena HarmashEditing by Gareth Jones)