Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Friday the initiation of serial production for the new Oreshnik ballistic missile system.

This decision follows the system’s first combat deployment earlier this week in Ukraine.

During a meeting at the Kremlin with Defense Ministry officials and representatives from the defense industry, Putin emphasized that the Oreshnik missile system is not merely an upgrade of an existing Soviet-era weapon.

Rather, it represents a new innovation utilizing advanced hypersonic technology and modern materials. “It is the result of work done in the conditions of New Russia,” Putin stated, underscoring that the system has been designed to address current defense requirements.

He also confirmed that several Oreshnik systems are presently undergoing testing in Russia, and that the move towards mass production has already been established. “You can assume that the decision on production has been made. In fact, it is organized,” he remarked. Additional missile systems are anticipated to be supplied to Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces in the upcoming months.

The Oreshnik missile was first utilized in combat on Thursday, targeting a Ukrainian defense facility in Dnepropetrovsk. The specific site hit was Yuzhmash, one of Ukraine’s largest defense-industrial complexes, which was established during the Soviet era and is known for manufacturing missile systems and various weaponry.

President Putin stated that this missile deployment was a direct response to Ukraine’s assaults on Russian territory using long-range weapons supplied by Western nations, including American ATACMS and British Storm Shadow missiles.

Characterized as a medium-range, hypersonic weapon, the Oreshnik is engineered for precision strikes. The Defense Ministry reported that “all warheads” successfully hit their intended targets during this week’s operation.

The president commended the missile’s effective testing and combat use, highlighting the rapid development of the system.

Putin also stressed the necessity of ongoing testing and ramping up production levels. “I congratulate the military on the successful tests and advocate for the system’s adoption,” he remarked.