Russians Unimpressed As Putin Claims His Missiles Missed On Purpose

Russian President Vladimir Putin claims recent Oreshnik hypersonic missile launches deliberately avoided military targets, hitting only empty spaces—and his own people are furious. The admission, meant to project strength, has backfired spectacularly among pro-war Russian bloggers and nationalists.

Putin told state television that the June 2026 Oreshnik missile tests were not aimed at actual military installations, describing them as “technical demonstrations” against empty fields. The statement contradicts earlier official reports that the missiles struck critical Ukrainian infrastructure and military depots. Russian military bloggers, who have built large followings on Telegram and other platforms, reacted with outrage, accusing the Kremlin of covering up failures and wasting resources.

The Oreshnik is Russia’s newest hypersonic weapon, capable of traveling at Mach 10 and evading most air defenses. Moscow has heavily promoted it as unstoppable, with multiple combat launches in Ukraine over the past year. Putin’s admission that recent launches were merely “tests against empty ground” has stunned even loyalist commentators, who had celebrated the strikes as evidence of battlefield superiority.

Key figures include Andrei “Murz” Morozov, a prominent military blogger with over 800,000 followers, who wrote: “Either our leadership is lying about military successes, or our missiles cannot hit moving targets. Both are catastrophic for morale.” The Russian defense ministry has not commented on the backlash. Analysts at the Royal United Services Institute noted that Putin’s remark may have been an attempt to lower expectations ahead of a stalled offensive, but instead exposed the gap between propaganda and reality.

The implications extend beyond Ukraine. Hypersonic missiles are a cornerstone of Russia’s strategic deterrent; if even these advanced weapons are being used for “demonstrations” rather than combat, it raises questions about Russia’s overall military effectiveness. NATO officials have privately expressed skepticism about the Oreshnik’s capabilities for months. Putin’s own words now lend credibility to those doubts.

Looking ahead, Russian officials may try to walk back the statement or reframe it as a warning to the West. However, with domestic fury already boiling over, the Kremlin faces a rare test of its information control. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy quickly seized on the remark, calling it “a rare moment of honesty.” The next few days will show whether Putin doubles down or retreats into silence.