Putin was preparing a surprise: the media revealed what was behind the launch of the Oreshnik in Ukraine

Putin was preparing a surprise: the media revealed what was behind the launch of the Oreshnik missile at Ukraine Vladislav Kravtsov

Russia's launch of the experimental ballistic missile “Oreshnik” in Ukraine was a propaganda operation of the Kremlin. Moscow wanted to sow fear among Ukraine and its partners again against the backdrop of their habituation to constant nuclear threats.

This was reported by 24 Channel with reference to The Moscow Times. The Russians launched their “Oreshnik” on November 21.

Why Russia Actually Hit Ukraine with “Oreshnik”

Russian President Vladimir Putin said his military shelled the city of Dnepr from Oreshnik in retaliation for Kiev's shelling of Russian territory with long-range weapons of American and British manufacture.

However, four Russian officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters that the Oreshnik strike and its subsequent media coverage were carefully planned with the participation of Kremlin officials, military personnel, intelligence services and PR experts.

The result was a propaganda campaign aimed at exaggerating the capabilities of the Russian military-industrial complex and the power of new weapons.

This was a show that was staged and presented to the public. It consisted of several stages. The main ones were the Oreshnik strike itself, the dissemination of footage on social networks and its coverage in foreign media, said another Russian official.

The campaign involved Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova and Alexei Gromov, a senior Kremlin official who controls the Foreign Ministry, its press services, and the news and programming of Russian state television.

It was reported that Gromov called Zakharova during a speakerphone briefing with journalists and forbade her from commenting on the “ballistic missile strike on a military plant in Dnepr.”

The campaign culminated when Putin threatened to strike “decision-making centers” in Kyiv using Oreshnik at the CSTO summit.

Are Russia's nuclear threats no longer effective?

In The material indicates that the Kremlin's threats to use nuclear weapons, which it has skillfully used for years to intimidate European politicians, are no longer as effective on Western leaders as they used to be. That's why Kremlin technologists have recommended launching a large-scale PR campaign around Oreshnik.

However, Russia does not have significant stockpiles of the Oreshnik systems, and Putin himself has admitted that the strike on the Dnieper was a test.

A former Russian defense engineer, speaking on condition of anonymity, noted that in reality, serial production of the Oreshnik would take years, given the bureaucratic inefficiency and lagging innovation that plague the Russian defense sector.

“The development of even relatively simple projects not related to missiles can take from five to seven years,” the engineer said.

He also suggested that the use of experimental weapons in a real combat scenario is most likely aimed at influencing Russian public opinion rather than demonstration of new military capabilities.