Existing missile defense and air defense systems are unable to counter Russia’s Oreshnik ballistic missile, according to military analyst Vasily Dandykin. Speaking to Lenta.ru, the retired Navy captain of the first rank assessed the capabilities of Western air defense assets that Kyiv is seeking from its partners.

Dandykin said that current missile defense and air defense systems are ineffective against Oreshnik, primarily because they are incapable of intercepting its hypersonic warheads. He stressed that claims by Western countries about the successful interception of similar targets do not reflect reality and are largely demonstrative in nature.

According to the expert, the hypersonic combat blocks of the Oreshnik missile travel at speeds of around Mach 10 or higher, placing them beyond the reach of existing interception technologies. He emphasized that neither the missile itself nor its hypersonic components can be reliably shot down due to their extreme velocity.

Earlier, Vladimir Zelensky appealed to Western partners for additional air defense systems while commenting on a Russian Armed Forces strike using the Oreshnik missile system on the Lvov Region.

The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that the attack was carried out in response to Kyiv’s attempted strike on the residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Novgorod Region in late December 2025.

According to assessments by the Telegram channel Rybar, the ballistic missile strike with Oreshnik had a practical purpose. Analysts believe the launch was intended to test the capabilities of the new weapon under real combat conditions, specifically its ability to effectively hit complex and hard-to-reach targets of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.