How did the Russians attack – Mariusz Cielma about the Russian Oriesznik missile

– This ballistic missile was ten times larger and more massive than the Iskanders – said the editor-in-chief of “Nowa Technika Wojskowa”, Mariusz Cielma, in the “Wstańsz i weekend” program. – This shows us the scale a bit. 40 tons to four – added Cielma, comparing the capabilities of short-range Iskander missiles, commonly used for attacks on Ukraineto a medium-range ballistic missile launched on Thursday against the city of Dnieper in east-central Ukraine.

President Russia Vladimir Putin on the day of the attack, he reported that the “new Oreshnik hypersonic medium-range ballistic missile” was used and the target was a “military facility.”

– It is certainly a heavyweight, it is the first league of Russian missile forces – added Cielma, assessing the capabilities of the Oreshnik missile, used for the first time to attack Ukraine since the beginning of the armed invasion. The expert recalled that Putin called this weapon experimental. – Nothing comes from nothing – added the TVN24 interlocutor, explaining that the missile launched on Thursday is a modification of the Russian model of the RS-26 Rubezh ballistic missile (ICBM).

Read more: What is the RS-26 Rubezh missile? “It's supposed to show that things are getting a bit heated in Moscow.”

Cielma, answering the question whether Oreshnik could be shot down by air defense systems, said that in the city of Dnieper such possibilities were “virtually non-existent” because there were no defense systems such as Patriot or SAMP/T. – These systems offer certain chances, especially in the final phase of flight (of the missile – ed.) – explained Cielma. He estimated that if Ukraine had “its own Redzikowo (the location of the American anti-missile base in Poland – ed.), it would be in a much better situation.”

According to the TVN24 interlocutor, the defense missile launched from the base in Redzikowo would, in the event of a threat, be able to combat a ballistic missile at a very high altitude, even in space.

When asked about the safety of residents of cities in Ukraine attacked with ballistic missiles, such as Oreshnik, and whether they would have time to go to shelters, the interlocutor of the “Wstańsz i weekend” program pointed out that “the key is the warning system.” He recalled that the Oreshnik missile flew for 15 minutes – from the Caspian Sea to the city of Dnieper, at a speed of 10,000 (km) per hour. Cielma mentioned that the West has “efficient” warning systems, but – as he added – “the last minutes remain” before the sirens sound (of the missile's flight – ed.).

READ also: How important is the Russian attack with a new, experimental weapon on the Dnieper?

The American think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW) assessed in its latest analysis that Thursday's Russian Oreshnik missile attack on the city of Dnieper is part of a propaganda campaign aimed at exaggerating Russia's capabilities and putting pressure on the West and the authorities in Kiev.

After the Oreshnik missile hit the Yuzhmash arms plant in Dnieper, which in Soviet times produced, among others, SS-20 (“Satan”) missiles and were the largest arms company in Europe, the Russian media and the authorities in the Kremlin talk about the great success of the army, the defense industry and Russian designers. On Friday, Vladimir Putin congratulated the Russian army on the “successful” test of the Oreshnik ballistic missile in the Kremlin. He described the attack as a response to “those who are trying to blackmail” Russia.

Moscow benefits from the publicity surrounding this strike and probably hopes that stoking concerns about the Oreshnik missile launch will persuade the West to withdraw support for Ukraine, ISW wrote.

The Institute for War Studies noted that the Kremlin may conduct test attacks using the same or similar ballistic missiles in the coming days to achieve the same propaganda effect. Russian sources announce that Russia will close part of its airspace on Saturday and Sunday in order to conduct missile tests. However, it was not specified what type of missile the Russian forces were testing.

The deputy head of military intelligence in Kiev, Vadym Skibitsky, warned on Friday that Russia probably has up to 10 Oreshnik missiles and will test all of them in the near future.