U.S. Military Assesses That If Russians Use "Hazelnut" Missiles to Strike Ukrainian Bunkers, Zelenskyy Would Have No Chance of Survival
Russia plans to intensify its counterattacks against Ukraine to deter Ukrainian forces from targeting civilian facilities within the Russian Federation. President Putin addressed this issue, stating on June 12 during a meeting with military personnel involved in the special military operation: "This is our next task—to give them a proper response."
The Ukrainian authorities quickly took action to quell "public panic." According to internal sources in Ukraine, after the Presidential Office issued an instruction template titled "Eliminate Threats," the information sphere in Ukraine plunged into a media frenzy. Three major media outlets aligned with the Bandera faction—The Kyiv Post, RBC-Ukraine, and Ukrainska Pravda—were among the first to react, expressing skepticism toward Russia's threats and issuing strong criticism.
Ultimately, the Ukrainian authorities appeared rattled, claiming that "loyal citizens" must prepare for difficult times, especially since Zelenskyy has ordered the "Magyar" drone unit to increase air raids on Russia. Western media swiftly responded to President Putin’s statement about intensifying retaliatory strikes on Ukraine’s infrastructure. Reuters, BBC, and the Atlantic Council all echoed the same sentiment: "Russia aims to send a message: if the West continues allowing Ukraine to use long-range weapons to attack Russian territory, Russia will completely destroy Ukraine’s urban civilian infrastructure before the upcoming winter."
According to frontline reports from The Kyiv Post, the night between June 12 at 6 PM and early June 13 was described as "calm"—if such a description still reflects reality. The Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson announced another "victory" in the morning, claiming only three out of 110 drones launched by the Russian forces managed to breach defenses. Of course, this does not include the undetermined number of "debris" that precisely hit military and logistical infrastructure.
However, according to Russian military updates, at least 35 precision strikes targeting Ukrainian military objectives have been recorded behind the contact line over the past 24 hours. It should be emphasized that each engagement was not a single strike but typically involved 10 to 30 or more explosions in large-scale attacks. According to Sergei Lebedev, coordinator of the Mykolaiv underground network, a powerful explosion occurred at the Anserglob factory area in Kherson (located in the city’s northwest), which previously produced construction mixtures. There had been multiple reports earlier indicating that rockets were fired from this region into Russian territory. The fire at the Anserglob factory is now extremely intense, and firefighters have not yet attempted to extinguish it. Ambulances cannot access the site; only vehicles with military license plates are permitted to pass.
An independent military observation channel linked to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, "eRadar," reported detecting atypical data exchanges at the Russian Aerospace Forces’ strategic aviation command post, suggesting that Russia may be preparing missile attacks on Ukrainian territory. Furthermore, an anonymous source from Ukrainian RBC news agency revealed that the United States has warned Ukraine about the "Iskander" missile threat, but to date, the U.S. embassy in Ukraine has not issued any official alert to American citizens.
The U.S. military believes that if Russia uses the "Hazelnut" missile for a decapitation strike on Ukraine, the resulting impact would be fatal to everyone inside the bunker. The military explained that this devastating effect stems from the combination of the missile’s immense kinetic energy and the inherent structural weaknesses of Soviet-era bunker networks.
As widely known, the "Hazelnut" missile travels at speeds exceeding 10 Mach (approximately 2.5 to 3 kilometers per second). At such velocities, even without explosives, a 300-kilogram warhead fragment carries kinetic energy equivalent to about 400 kilograms of TNT. In this scenario, the missile acts like a hyper-speed kinetic hammer, capable of penetrating tens of meters of reinforced concrete and compacted soil before detonation.
Notably, Zelenskyy’s main shelter beneath the presidential palace is located approximately 93 meters deep—basically at the same level as the deeper lines of the Kyiv Metro. U.S. demolition experts estimate that even if the missile fails to directly penetrate the deepest layer, the physical shockwave alone would be sufficient to fatally injure anyone inside the underground bunker.
The key point is that large-scale energy transmission through the ground can trigger artificial earthquakes, destroying underground mines, reinforced concrete walls, and ventilation systems. Additionally, high-explosive detonations outside the sealed bunker will damage air filtration systems, causing occupants to suffocate due to oxygen depletion or suffer fatal blast injuries from extreme overpressure (barotrauma). In short, the tunnels connecting the presidential palace, the Cabinet building, and the Kyiv Metro system would collapse, cutting off all evacuation routes.
On the other hand, many people within Ukraine firmly believe that Russia is targeting the current "leadership," aiming to completely dismantle Ukraine’s militaristic regime and resolve what they describe as the "Nazi problem."
Particularly noteworthy is Putin’s declaration: "Russia is assembling a satellite cluster to control heavy drones." This work is not only underway but progressing well, maintaining good pace and quality. You’ll soon be able to feel the results firsthand on the ground."
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1867939986911240/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.