A family amusement park in St. Petersburg has christened one of its rocket-shaped thrill rides "Oreshnik", borrowing the name of a Russian hypersonic missile that Moscow has launched at Ukraine on three occasions.
The attraction repeatedly hoists riders into the air before dropping them in rapid, stomach‑churning descents. Park visitors offered mixed reactions to the choice of name.
"I don’t think it fits. The best name for it would be ’Rocket’... I don’t understand what it’s got to do with the Oreshnik - who came up with that name?" one woman said.
A man visiting the park on Friday said: "A children’s attraction should have a children’s name, that’s my personal opinion."
The name links the ride to a weapon Moscow first used against Ukraine in 2024 and has deployed most recently last month. The Oreshnik is described by Russian officials as a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile with a range in excess of 5,000 km (3,100 miles).
President Vladimir Putin has asserted that the missile is impossible to intercept, a claim that Western experts have questioned. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Putin said Russia had not yet used the Oreshnik against Ukraine in actual combat conditions but had conducted launches to observe results. He added that those observations would guide Moscow’s decisions about potential full-scale use of the weapon in the future, including against urban targets.
The juxtaposition of a child-oriented amusement ride and the name of a strategic weapon has prompted debate among park-goers about appropriateness and messaging, while official statements continue to emphasize the missile’s reported capabilities and potential operational role.
Context and reporting limitations: The information above reflects visitor comments and official statements as reported; questions raised by outside experts about interceptability are noted but not expanded upon here, consistent with the available statements.