media, t-shirts, vodka brand… In Russia, the madness around the new “Orechnik” missile

The new missile called “Orechnik”, which means “hazelnut”, was used on Thursday to strike Ukraine. Russian elites shout their love for this missile designed to carry nuclear warheads and which is supposed to terrorize the enemy, namely the West.

Russia announces that it is preparing retaliation after the latest Ukrainian strikes on its territory in recent days. Strikes which were carried out using long-range Western weapons. The Russian Ministry of Defense published on its social networks on Tuesday, November 26, debris from these weapons, in this case American ATACMS missiles, recovered.

Moscow appears to be preparing to justify a response. The last one, on November 21, had a name: “Orechnik”. Named after this ballistic missile sent to the city of Dnipro, without the nuclear warheads it is supposed to carry. “Orechnik” has almost become a totem, a rallying cry for Russian power since its name was revealed by Vladimir Putin.

Clichés sometimes die hard, the Russians have an immoderate love for big rockets, even if they are topped with nuclear warheads. As soon as the Orechnik shot was confirmed on Friday, the press was already celebrating the triumph of Russian technology. The name of this missile, which means “hazelnut”, was on everyone’s lips, starting with Vladimir Solovyov, the chief propagandist of television. “I really like this name… I find it touching”he says in front of the almost hilarious debaters on his show.

Also touching for the leader of the Communist Party Gennady Ziouganov who affirms that soon, “we will call November 21 Hazelnut Day”. In the Duma, his colleague Serguei Mironov appears on the podium with a t-shirt bearing the “Orechnik” logo, congratulated by the President of the Assembly. “This is how you should work”exclaims Vyasheslav Volodin, the speaker of the Duma.

The Russian political class is celebrating Oreshnik by repeating for five days that the West has been petrified since the launch of this missile. An entrepreneur wants to turn it into a vodka brand, and in the Tatarstan region, a father announces that his fifteenth child could be called Orechnik.