**Russia Uses Western Tech to Develop New Missile**
Russia’s new intermediate-range ballistic missile, the Oreshnik, was recently fired at Ukraine. The Financial Times reported that despite sanctions, the missile was developed using advanced manufacturing equipment from Western companies.
The missile was launched at Dnipro on November 21. Russian President Vladimir Putin said it was a response to Ukraine’s use of American and British weapons to strike deeper into Russia.
**Western Tech Used in Missile Development**
Two key Russian weapons engineering institutes were named by Ukrainian intelligence as developers of the Oreshnik: Moscow Institute for Thermal Technology (MITT) and Sozvezdie. These institutes posted job listings in 2024 that specified expertise in operating German and Japanese metalworking systems, such as Fanuc, Siemens, and Haidenhein control systems.
Despite sanctions slowing down the flow of this equipment into Russia, at least $3 million worth of Heidenhain components were shipped into Russia in 2024. Some buyers are closely tied to military production.
**Missile Development Not Wholly New**
Defense expert Fabian Hoffmann from the University of Oslo suggested that the Oreshnik is not a wholly new development but rather a modification of the RS-26 Rubezh missile.
**Russia’s Defense Industry Vulnerable**
The reliance on Western machinery points to continued vulnerabilities in Russia’s defense industry amid ongoing sanctions aimed at curtailing its military capabilities. A U.S. official told The Kyiv Independent that Russia likely possesses only a small number of these experimental missiles.
Read More @ kyivindependent.com