Russia's attack on Ukraine that used an "experimental" intermediate-range ballistic missile dubbed Oreshnik was messaging, not mass destruction.Why it matters: The Nov. 21 salvo underscored how little recourse Moscow has to Western aid — like Army Tactical Missile Systems — once deemed red lines.

Hypersonic weapons like Russia’s Oreshnik missile present a formidable challenge to existing missile defense systems. However, defenses capable of intercepting them do exist.

Russia’s new ballistic missile flies on a high arc out of Earth’s atmosphere and releases multiple high-speed projectiles, making it challenging but not impossible to intercept