- Ukrainian forensic experts found that Russia’s “Oreshnik” intermediate-range missile uses Cold War–era components, including vacuum tubes and legacy guidance hardware, according to an analysis published by Militarnyi.
- Markings on recovered parts showed production dates from 2018 and indicated the missile relies on repurposed technology rather than new systems, despite Russian claims of advanced design.
Ukraine’s experts have confirmed that Russia’s new “Oreshnik” intermediate-range missile relies on decades-old components, according to an analysis released by the Ukrainian defense outlet Militarnyi on January 11.
The findings stem from debris recovered after the missile struck Dnipro in November 2024.
Militarnyi reported that the discovery came after CNN broadcast a segment showing parts of the missile being examined at the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise. According to the outlet, Ukrainian specialists found no new technologies in the system despite Moscow promoting the missile as a major leap forward. As noted by Militarnyi, analysts said the electronic base still relies on technologies from the Cold War era and the early spaceflight period.
Ukrainian examiners identified Soviet-era vacuum tubes on the missile’s control boards. Based on their appearance, investigators described one of the components as likely a krytron, a fast-acting electronic switch widely used in mid-20th-century weapons systems. They also noted the possibility that it functioned as a high-frequency resonator. The report added that experts were shown fragments of the guidance gyroscope, which the Ukrainian team characterized by saying it was “the kind Yuri Gagarin would have flown with.”
According to the analysis, markings on multiple recovered parts indicated that they were manufactured in early 2018, suggesting they may have been intended for earlier programs rather than newly designed for the missile.
Ukraine’s military intelligence service has previously detailed that the true name of the system is not “Oreshnik” but Kedr, a recently introduced intermediate-range ballistic missile derived from the RS-26 Rubezh program. Russia has presented Kedr as a modern weapon intended to match Western advancements in non-strategic missile capabilities.
Technical assessments released by Ukrainian experts indicate that the missile’s design follows the structure of legacy Soviet platforms. According to Militarnyi, the layout of the inertial navigation hardware aligns with earlier generations of Russian intermediate-range systems. The outlet said that the Kyiv forensic institute found no evidence of redesigned internal architecture despite Russian claims of technological renewal.
CNN’s footage showed investigators cataloging twisted metal, wiring, and fragments of the guidance module. The Ukrainian specialists told the network they were unable to identify any advanced or proprietary technologies in the remnants collected from the Dnipro impact site. The report noted that Russia has marketed the system as a breakthrough in the ongoing arms race, but the recovered elements showed a reliance on pre-existing manufacturing practices.
The missile strike in Dnipro in November 2024 was one of the first documented uses of the system against Ukraine. Ukrainian intelligence previously warned that Russia was preparing to field the new missile, which they assessed as a derivative of earlier Rubezh work rather than a clean-sheet design.
Militarnyi emphasized in its review that, despite Russia’s portrayal of Kedr as a next-generation platform, the physical evidence pointed to a continuation of Cold War-era engineering lines.