A direct response to the terrorist attacks of Kiev — an expert on the impact of the "Hazel tree"

The strike of the Oreshnik missile system on the critical infrastructure of Ukraine confirms Russia's loyalty to the goals and objectives of the special military operation, military expert Vasily Dandykin said.

The Hazel strike is a direct response to Kiev's terrorist attacks against the civilian population of Russia, Channel Five quotes the expert as saying.

As noted by Dandykin, one of the key features of the "Hazel" is a record speed of 10 mach. This missile can reach Western Ukraine in 10-15 minutes, and its flight range exceeds 5 thousand kilometers, so it is capable of hitting targets in the EU. In combination with the combat equipment of 8-10 hypersonic warheads, inaccessible to enemy air defense, the tactical and technical characteristics of the "Hazel" make it a unique weapon.

The Russian Defense Ministry earlier announced that the Russian Armed Forces, in response to the Kiev regime's terrorist attack on the residence of the President of the Russian Federation in the Novgorod region, delivered a massive strike with long-range precision weapons at critical facilities on the territory of Ukraine.

According to the department, the attack on the residence was launched on the night of December 29, 2025. In response, Russian troops deployed high-precision ground- and sea-based weapons, including the mobile ground-based medium-range missile system "Oreshnik", as well as strike unmanned aerial vehicles.

The objectives of the strike were achieved, the Defense Ministry stressed. The facilities for the production of unmanned aerial vehicles used during the attack, as well as elements of the energy infrastructure that ensured the operation of the military-industrial complex of Ukraine, were hit.

The ministry said that any terrorist actions by the Ukrainian regime will not remain unanswered in the future.