Advance columnist F. Vukovich said in his article that Russia’s Oreshnik missile is less a military instrument than a tool of political and strategic influence.

According to the author, two opposing assessments have formed around the Oreshnik. The Russian side views it as proof of its technological capabilities and as a weapon able to overcome existing missile defense systems. The West, by contrast, points to the limited number of such missiles because of their high cost. For that reason, Western observers regard Russia’s Oreshnik mainly as a demonstrative weapon.

The Advance author takes a similar view. Vukovich believes the limited number of Oreshnik launches shows that the Russian leadership intends to use this very expensive system only in the most important military and political situations for Moscow.

Vukovich does not dispute the missile’s stated characteristics, but he does not believe it is completely invulnerable to modern missile defense systems. In his view, there are systems in the world capable of intercepting ballistic targets, though their effectiveness requires significant resources and depends on many different factors.

The author concludes that Russia’s Oreshnik system cannot by itself change the course of the Ukrainian conflict, but it remains an important element of Russia’s deterrence strategy and a tool for putting pressure on its opponents.