Russia wants to launch "Oreshnik" into production, but its effectiveness is "questionable," says deputy head of the SZR

Russia plans to start mass production of Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missiles in 2026, but the effectiveness of such weapons is questionable. This was stated by deputy head of the Foreign Intelligence Service (SZR) Oleh Luhovskyi in an interview with state agency Ukrinform.

"According to our estimates, Russia has no more than three or four such missiles. We know that the Russian Ministry of Defense plans to launch the Oreshnik into mass production in 2026 and acquire the capacity to produce five or more such missiles a year," the official said.

However, Luhovskyi emphasized that these weapons have "more political than military content" and are primarily "an instrument of intimidation" of Ukraine's European partners.

The deputy head of the SZR also called the combat effectiveness of these missiles "questionable."

"Oreshnik is built on the technologies of the last century and requires constant technical support and prompt elimination of various malfunctions," the official explained.

Luhovskyi added that his intelligence service is "actively cooperating" with foreign intelligence agencies regarding the deployment of Oreshnik in Belarus: "This allows us to have a common objective picture, to avoid Russian and Belarusian disinformation."

• On the night of January 9, 2026, Russia launched a missile attack on the Lviv region, after which it officially recognized the second strike with Oreshnik on Ukraine. The missile, like the first attack, was launched from a test site Kapustin Yar in the Russian Federation.
• On January 12 the US condemned the Russian attack with the Oreshnik missile and called on Russia to "back up its words with actions" to achieve peace.
• On January 22, law enforcement officials announced the detention of two men suspected of exploration of the consequences from an Oreshnik strike.