söndag 24 maj 2026

Expert on Russian terror weapon: “Much, much faster”

A Russian hypersonic missile struck in Ukraine on Sunday night.

This is the third time that the feared weapon has been used since the start of the war.

– It comes at a very high speed, which means that it has great force when it strikes, says expert Hans Liwång.

The hypersonic missile Oreshnik hit the city of Bila Treskva in central Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian Air Force. The weapon was used as part of a massive attack with drones and missiles on Sunday night. Russia confirms that a hypersonic missile has been fired.

Why is Russia using Oresjnik now?

– They have used it before during the war, and given that this is a , they want to show both externally and also to the population that they have this type of advanced weapon. Now it was probably a matter of them believing that they had a target and conditions that were suitable, says Hans Liwång, professor of defense systems at the Swedish National Defense University.

          Hans Liwång, professor i försvarssystem.

          Hans Liwång, professor of defense systems. Photo: Judit Nilsson / Svd / TT

What distinguishes hypersonic missiles from other types of missiles?

– What distinguishes them above all is that they are much, much faster. This means that you need to defend yourself in a different way and need other air defenses for them. That is precisely the challenge: You have a weapon that behaves in a completely different way than the drones that you usually use. It challenges Ukraine's air defense, that it could come any night or day.

How can Ukraine defend itself against the weapon?

– The vast majority of the air defense systems that are used to defend themselves against the hypersonic missiles come from the USA. Still, there are challenges: they need to be placed in the right place, they need to be ready and they need to be prioritized for this type of target. Then there is a chance to shoot down these hypersonic robots.

I december 2025 släppte Ryssland bilder på det fruktade vapnet. 
In December 2025, Russia released images of the feared weapon. Photo: AP
Bilder från nattens attacker som sägs visa Oresjnikattacken. 
Images from the night attacks that are said to show the Oreshnik attack. Photo: X
Robotsystemet täcks av camouflagenät under en övning någonstans i Belarus, december 2025. 
The robot system is covered by camouflage netting during an exercise somewhere in Belarus, December 2025. Photo: AP
 
Photo: Evgeniy Maloletka /AP/TT

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Hans Liwång, professor i försvarssystem.

Vad skiljer hypersoniska robotar från andra typer av robotar?


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