The information was confirmed to Espreso by Yurii Ihnat, head of communications for the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.“The Air Force reported a threat of ballistic weapons being used across the entire territory of the country. This clearly indicates a likely risk linked to activity at the Kapustin Yar range in Russia,” Ihnat said.Kapustin Yar is where Russia launches its Oreshnik ballistic missile, which the Kremlin presents as a new development.Such threats are detected with the help of foreign partners.“I’ve said this many times — we work with our NATO colleagues who share information with us, including about missile launches by strategic aviation, Kalibr missiles from the Black Sea, and other data on activity at the Kapustin Yar range,” Ihnat noted.He added that it is impossible to predict how often such long-range ballistic threats may occur, as the Russians regularly close the test site for two to three weeks at a time. “You can only know the full picture if you’re sitting in Putin’s office,” Ihnat remarked.The spokesperson also urged people to rely only on official sources and verify information from monitoring channels, as many of them — and even some media — spread unverified news to gain views.What is the “Oreshnik” missile?Earlier, Defense Intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov explained that the mysterious “Oreshnik” is essentially the same as the “Rubezh” or “Kedr” systems, known for some time.“Putin publicly announced that an ‘Oreshnik’ missile was used — that’s just the code name for a research project. The actual system is called ‘Kedr.’ It’s an experimental missile. We knew two prototypes were expected to be produced by October, perhaps a few more, but it’s still experimental,” Budanov said.Probable specifications of the Oreshnik missile:Length: 23 mDiameter: 2 mWeight: about 40–50 tonsWarhead: 1,000–1,200 kgRange: 5,000–5,800 kmSpeed: over Mach 11 (about 4 km/s)Accuracy: up to 150 mCost: from $40 millionRussian dictator Vladimir Putin first mentioned the Oreshnik in November last year, claiming Russia tested a medium-range ballistic missile during an attack on Dnipro. Ukraine’s Security Service later presented fragments of the so-called Oreshnik as evidence of another Russian act of aggression.Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko has stated his readiness to host up to ten Oreshnik missile systems on Belarusian territory. During the Zapad-2025 exercises in September, Russian and Belarusian forces trained with the system alongside drones and new combat tactics.On October 22, Russia held strategic nuclear forces drills involving land, sea, and air components.