This is reported by Financial Times.
The publication discovered job openings from two leading Russian engineering institutes, which Ukrainian intelligence has identified as developers of the “Oreshnik.”
The Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering (MIT) and the “Zvezda” concern, part of Russia's radio-electronic complex, were looking for employees familiar with metalworking systems from German and Japanese companies.
It seems that Russia is particularly in need of expertise in the area of numerical control programming (CNC). In the job listings, Russians emphasize the necessity of being knowledgeable about systems from the Japanese company Fanuc, as well as the German companies Siemens and Heidenhain. All three companies manufacture control systems for high-precision CNC machines.
“Zvezda” indicated one of its specializations as “automated control systems and military communication systems.”
“Titan-Barricades,” another company involved in the production of “Oreshnik,” published an image earlier this year of an employee standing in front of a control device branded Fanuc.
Moreover, job announcements reveal that “STAN,” a Russian company specializing in the design and manufacturing of machine tool equipment, also utilizes Heidenhain equipment.
Export controls have slowed the flow of control units into Russia. However, FT, citing Russian documents, reports that since the beginning of 2024, equipment worth at least $3 million, including Heidenhain components, has arrived in Russia. Some of the buyers are deeply involved in the Russian defense sector.
It is a Russian nuclear weapon carrier. Ukrainian intelligence stated that “Oreshnik” is the name of the research project by the Russians, while the actual system is called “Kedr.”
The occupiers first used this weapon against Ukraine early on the morning of November 21, attacking the city of Dnipro. Initially, the Air Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Center for Strategic Communications of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and President Volodymyr Zelensky indicated that the Russians had used an intercontinental ballistic missile “Rubezh” for the first time. However, later that same day, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that the Russians used the medium-range missile “Oreshnik”, not an intercontinental one.
According to intelligence, the Russians used “Oreshnik” in a “non-nuclear variant” for the strike on Dnipro. According to GUR data, as of October, the Russians were expected to have produced two prototypes of “Oreshnik” / “Kedr,” and there was no discussion of serial production.