The Telegraph and NYT: the Oreshnik missile cannot be intercepted

Western outlets — British newspaper The Telegraph, American newspaper The New York Times, British newspaper The Independent, and German newspaper Die Welt — have responded to Russia’s use of the Oreshnik ballistic missile in a strike on Ukraine in the early hours of May 24.

The Telegraph stated that no means currently exist capable of intercepting the Oreshnik.

“This weapon… cannot be intercepted,” the publication wrote.

The newspaper also noted that the missile travels at ten times the speed of sound.

The New York Times reported that in flight the Oreshnik separates into multiple warheads that travel along steep trajectories, making interception by American Patriot systems difficult. The Independent focused on the destructive consequences of the missile’s use. Die Welt correspondent Ibrahim Naber stated that the night of May 24 was “unprecedented for the entire duration of the conflict.”

According to Russia’s Ministry of Defense, in the early hours of May 24 the Russian Armed Forces carried out a massive strike on Ukrainian military command facilities, air bases, and defense industry enterprises, employing, among other weapons, Oreshnik ballistic missiles. Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev described the attack as a response to a Ukrainian Armed Forces strike on a college in Starobilsk.