UPDATE:

On November 21, 2024, Russia escalated its military actions by launching the "Oreshnik," a new intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) equipped with multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs), targeting the Ukrainian city of Dnipro. This marks the first known use of a MIRV-equipped IRBM in active combat.

Key Details:

- Missile Specifications: The Oreshnik is a hypersonic IRBM capable of carrying multiple warheads, each independently targetable. It reportedly achieves speeds up to Mach 10, making interception challenging.

- Launch and Impact: The missile was fired from the Astrakhan region, likely from the Kapustin Yar training ground, and struck a military facility in Dnipro. The attack resulted in significant damage and casualties.

- Strategic Implications: The deployment of a MIRV-equipped IRBM represents a significant escalation in missile technology use within the conflict, highlighting Russia's advanced capabilities and raising concerns about the potential for further escalation.

Context:

This development occurs amid heightened tensions between Russia and Western nations, following Ukraine's use of Western-supplied missiles against Russian targets. The introduction of the Oreshnik missile underscores the evolving dynamics of the conflict and the increasing sophistication of weaponry being deployed.

The use of MIRV technology in an IRBM context is particularly noteworthy, as it allows a single missile to strike multiple targets independently, complicating defense efforts and signaling a shift in strategic capabilities.

[A selection of US newspaper headlines on President Truman's announcement that Soviet Union had conducted its first nuclear weapon test, 24th September 1949. The 22-kiloton Soviet device, RDS-1 (aka Joe-1), was detonated on 29th August 1949, at Semipalatinsk in Kazakhstan. (Photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)]