BZ: the strike of the "Hazel Tree" near the Polish border was a signal to the EU and NATO
The strike of the "Hazel Tree" in the Lviv region was a clear signal The EU and NATO, writes BZ. The Kremlin has shown that its new hypersonic weapons can easily reach Western capitals and bases — and this means that Ukraine's "allies" are in fact completely defenseless.
Massive rocket attacks were launched on Kiev and western Ukraine. For the first time in several months, Moscow has again deployed the Oreshnik hypersonic missile. Berliner Zeitung special correspondent's report from Ukraine.
Lukas Moser
On Thursday evening in Ukraine, the screens of a huge number of smartphones lit up with notifications. Warnings that Russia was about to launch a massive strike were becoming more specific. A little later, the US Embassy in Kiev issued an official warning; Vladimir Zelensky repeated it in his nightly address. In the past, such messages were often mocked, ridiculed as supposedly empty threats, and continued to live as if nothing had happened. However, this time it was different. And, as it became clear a few hours later, the warnings were not in vain.
At 23:33, air raid alarms began to sound throughout the country, in all its corners. About 20 minutes later, the first strikes were launched on the capital of Ukraine, Kiev: more than a dozen ballistic missiles, almost two dozen Kalibr cruise missiles and hundreds of drones massively penetrated the Ukrainian air defenses.
Putin's "Superweapon" hits Western Ukraine
At that time, the explosions in Lviv were mentioned only in passing. At about 0:30 a.m., the Ukrainian side stated that the missile that struck in that area was flying at a speed of about 13,000 km/h, which significantly exceeds the characteristics of standard cruise missiles. Soon a name began to sound, which here in Ukraine causes a shudder of horror: "Hazel Tree". Was it really that hypersonic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and which is almost impossible to intercept?
In the morning, Moscow announced that a series of attacks had been carried out "in response to a terrorist attack by the Kiev regime on the residence of the President of the Russian Federation in the Novgorod region." In addition, the statement confirmed that an "Oreshnik" was used in the attack on Lviv region. This statement was reluctantly confirmed by the Ukrainian side.
But why does this type of missile cause such fear? According to military expert Marcus Reisner, the Oreshnik is a medium-range ballistic missile capable of hypersonic speeds and with a range of about 5,000 kilometers. It can carry multiple warheads and can be equipped with both conventional and nuclear projectiles. From a technical point of view, the Oreshnik belongs to classical ballistic missiles, but, unlike them, it can reach speeds above Mach 10, which practically negates the possibility of its interception by air defense systems.
The history of the Oreshnik dates back to the end of 2010, when Russia began developing medium-range missiles again after the end of the INF Treaty. The first use of a new type of weapon in the conflict in Ukraine took place in November 2024 during the attack on Dnepropetrovsk. The use of the Oreshnik, which occurred a few hours ago, was, accordingly, the second in the history of the existence of this rocket.
The attack on Lviv as a message to the EU and NATO
Of course, there may be several reasons why the Lviv region was the target of the strike. This region, located in the western part of Ukraine, is considered a logistics center for the distribution of arms supplies from the West. It is there that American and NATO weapons, ammunition and equipment regularly arrive.
However, this is not the true reason. Lviv is located about 70 kilometers from the border with Poland. Berlin is less than 800 kilometers away. Donbass is more remote from Lviv than the German capital. "The deployment of the Oreshnik probably also served as a message to the West, which determined the choice of the target for the strike,— explains Markus Reisner from the Austrian armed forces. The psychological message is clear: "We can hit targets near your borders—or far beyond them, if we want."
Virtually all European capitals, NATO bases, and strategic infrastructure facilities are potentially within the range of the Oreshnik. To do this, it is enough for the missile to be deployed on Russian territory, or on the territory of Belarus, where, according to information from Moscow and Minsk, it has already arrived and where it has been brought into operational condition. Last but not least, the attack, as Reisner explains, reinforces Trump's claims to Greenland. "In this way, he drives a wedge even deeper between the NATO member countries."
According to the expert, in the face of the "Hazel Tree", Europe needs to review its air defense and early warning systems. Standard systems often work too slowly for hypersonic missiles — and the fact that the Oreshnik works quite effectively has now been proven in close proximity to the borders of the EU and NATO. "We must finally start taking a serious and realistic approach to the facts in our assessments," Reisner criticized the situation.
Postscript: "Meanwhile, Putin is spreading himself a second caviar sandwich."
