Russian Telegram channels have published satellite images of the aftermath of a recent strike by Russia’s new intermediate-range ballistic missile, Oreshnik, on Ukraine’s Dnipro city, showing no significant destruction.
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One of the channels, in particular, released satellite images of the Pivdenmash (formerly Yuzhnmash) plant, which was allegedly targeted by the Oreshnik missile.
The images do not support the Russian claims that the plant was “erased to dust.”
Following the strike on Dnipro, Russian propaganda outlets claimed the plant had been “completely destroyed” and a “black hole” had formed at the site of the attack.
However, the Russian Z-channel “Romanov Light” released satellite images, stating that the plant was undamaged.
Ukrainian blogger Denis Kazansky pointed out how, for two days, Russian propaganda channels insisted that the Pivdenmash plant no longer existed.
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Yan Matveev, a Russian military commentator for the YouTube channel “Popular Politics,” who has been declared “wanted” in Russia, commented on the satellite images:
“Russian Z-channels wrote that after the Oreshnik strike, the Pivdenmash plant in Dnipro was destroyed, and the plant no longer exists. It seems that the recent Sentinel satellite image is deceiving me.”
“Or the Ukrainian Armed Forces built an ideal mock-up of the plant in three days to hide the incredible success of Putin’s missile,” he added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that the missile strike on Dnipro was a combat test for “one of the newest Russian mid-range missile systems” during an unscheduled television appearance on Nov. 21.
He claimed the missile, deployed in a “non-nuclear hypersonic configuration,” was successfully tested and hit its intended target.
The missile, identified as “Oreshnik,” travels at Mach 10—equivalent to 2.5 to 3 kilometers per second—and is, according to Putin, impervious to interception by current air defense systems.
“Modern air defense systems cannot intercept such missiles. That’s impossible,” Putin said.
He boasted that “as of today, there are no means of counteracting such a weapon.”
Military expert Viktor Baranets, writing for Komsomolskaya Pravda, claimed that the Oreshnik missile is capable of carrying three to six warheads.
Ukrainian media reported that the missile was launched from the Kapustin Yar range in Russia’s Astrakhan region, approximately 900 kilometers (550 miles) from Dnipro.
While Putin described the weapon as “medium-range,” Russian military analysts suggested that the more accurate term in English would be “intermediate-range.” Intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBMs) typically have a range of 1,000 to 5,500 kilometers (621 to 3,418 miles), placing them just below intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) in classification.
The US Department of Defense referred to the Oreshnik as an “experimental” missile, reportedly based on Russia’s RS-26 Rubezh ICBM. Little is known about the Rubezh, which is believed to be a modification of the Topol ICBM.
Putin also stated that Russia would “address the question of further deployment of intermediate and shorter-range missiles based on the actions of the United States and its satellites.”
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