Putin orders serial production of Oreshnik hypersonic missile

Speaking on Friday during a televised meeting with members of his Security Council, defense industry officials and missile developers, the Russian leader said the Oreshnik cannot be stopped or intercepted and will be deployed as part of the country's Strategic Missile Forces.

"We need to launch serial production," he said, according to the state-run TASS news agency. "Let's say that the decision has been made that the system will go into serial production. Basically, it has already happened."

Putin added, "we have a stock of such systems ready to be used" if needed.

The comments came a day after the missile was "successfully" tested in a strike against a Ukrainian aerospace plant in the first use of a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile by Russia during its 33-month-old invasion of its neighbor.

Russia's use of the missile follows Ukraine having fired U.S. and British long-range missiles this week after U.S. President Joe Biden gave Ukraine the green light to use Army Tactical Missile Systems to attack deeper within Russian territory.

The situation has resulted in greatly raised tensions. NATO and Ukraine will hold emergency talks Tuesday as Russian leaders continued to make threats against the West, some with thinly veiled references to the use of nuclear arms.

In an address to the nation Thursday after the Oreshnik strike, Putin warned there would be "further tests of our advanced missile systems based on the threats to the security of the Russian Federation."

He added, "We consider ourselves entitled to use our weapons against military facilities of those countries that allow to use their weapons against our facilities, and in case of an escalation of aggressive actions, we will respond decisively and in mirror-like manner."

During Friday's Kremlin meeting, Strategic Missile Forces Commander Sergey Karakayev said the Oreshnik is capable of reaching targets across the European continent.

"Based on the tasks and the range of this weapon, it can hit targets across entire Europe, which sets it apart from other high-precision long-range weapons," he said, according to TASS.

Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev seemed to once again play the nuclear card Saturday in an interview with the Al Arabiya TV channel, accusing the United States and Britain of "joining" Ukraine in its fight to repel Russian invaders.

"If the escalation scenario continues to unfold, it won't be possible to exclude anything because NATO countries have in fact joined the conflict," he said.