Hyacinths, peonies, cornflowers, and carnations aren't just wonderful, sweet-smelling flowers; they're also the names of some of Russia's deadliest weapons systems. On Thursday, Russia added the Oreshnik (lit. Hazel) hypersonic missile system to the list.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Thursday speech unveiling the Oreshnik missile left Western observers scrambling to decode the meaning behind its name, which translates to 'hazel' - a flowering plant in the birch family.
But anyone familiar with Russian weapons design knows that there’s nothing Russian engineers enjoy more than giving their terrifying creations names that sound deceptively harmless or mundane:
Deadly bouquets and children’s stories