Russia's Kedr missile strikes Dnipro with alarming speed

The Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) reported that Russia used a Kedr ballistic missile to attack Dnipro on November 21, 2024. This missile, equipped with six warheads, was launched from the Astrakhan region. The flight time to the target was 15 minutes.

According to HUR, each warhead contained six submunitions, and the missile's speed in the final phase of its trajectory exceeded Mach 11.

The missile was developed by Russian design bureaus, mainly in Moscow, and its tests took place in October 2023 and June 2024. It was launched from the Kapustin Yar test range, where it had been previously tested.

On the same day, intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov said that the missile fired by the Russians over Dnipro has an experimental nature. "There is only a limited number in Russia, at least two prototypes of this missile," he said.

According to the intelligence chief, the attack was a signal that "the Russians have completely lost it." He added, "'Oreshnik' is the scientific name. In reality, the system is called 'Kedr' and is a carrier of nuclear weapons."

The Ukrainian authorities initially reported that Russia used an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of carrying nuclear warheads. However, later the USA stated that it was an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM).

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that 30 minutes before the launch of the medium-range ballistic missile "Oreshnik," the Russian Federation sent an automatic notification via the Nuclear Risk Reduction Center. The White House confirmed this information.