A Russian Oreshnik missile fired in January was reportedly manufactured nine years ago, according to Ukraine.

Ukrainian experts claimed on Friday that a Russian Oreshnik ballistic missile used against Ukraine in January was manufactured nine years ago and assembled from components produced in Russia and Belarus, calling into question the image of advanced technology that Moscow presents for this weapon.

According to Ukrainian specialists who examined debris recovered after the strikes, the missile was assembled in 2017 from parts dating back to 2016 or earlier. Their findings were presented during a demonstration of electronic components extracted from Russian missiles and drones used in the war in Ukraine.

The Oreshnik is an intermediate-range ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and with a range exceeding 5,000 kilometers. Russia first used it against Ukraine in 2024. Russian President Vladimir Putin presented the missile as virtually impossible to intercept, a claim disputed by many Western military experts.

Ukrainian authorities believe that the Orechnik is a modernized version of the RS-26 Rubezh missile, whose first successful tests date back to 2012. The study of fragments recovered on Ukrainian territory has allowed Kyiv to obtain more information on the technical characteristics of this weapon, of which only a few examples are believed to have been used so far.

Ukrainian experts also point out that the apparent absence of Western components in the analyzed missile demonstrates Russia's ability to produce certain strategic systems using its domestic industry and that of Belarus despite international sanctions.

This analysis comes as Moscow continues to promote the Orechnik as one of the pillars of its military modernization and strategic deterrence capability in the context of the war in Ukraine.