Defense analyst Etienne Marcuz posted a detailed infographic and analysis on X between 9:15 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. UTC on January 11, 2026, stating Russia's Oreshnik missile—fired in combat for the second time Thursday evening—is a conventional, non-nuclear version of the RS-26 intermediate-range ballistic missile, as confirmed by the Pentagon. Marcuz clarified that Oreshnik does not qualify as hypersonic in the military sense, defined as maneuvering above Mach 6 for most of its trajectory, and provided theoretical background on ballistic missiles alongside discussion of its operational impact, while noting limited consolidated information available, according to his X post. A separate post by clashreport during the same period detailed Russia's first use of the Geran-5 strike UAV against Ukraine in early 2026, describing it as a 6-meter-long, 5.5-meter wingspan jet-powered drone with a 90kg warhead, up to 1,000km range, satellite navigation, and similarity to Iran's Karrar UAV. These analyses follow Ukraine's HUR military intelligence report earlier this morning of the initial Geran-5 deployment between 8:15 a.m. and 8:45 a.m. UTC, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's statement this week that Russia launched an Oreshnik missile among nearly 1,100 attack drones, over 890 guided aerial bombs, and more than 50 missiles targeting energy infrastructure.
