Russia’s military said it launched a hypersonic Oreshnik missile at a Ukrainian target, claiming it was in retaliation for an alleged drone strike on President Vladimir Putin’s residence last month — an accusation Kyiv denies.
It is the second time that Russia has used the intermediate-range Oreshnik, a missile which President Vladimir Putin has boasted is impossible to intercept because of its reported velocity of more than 10 times the speed of sound.
The missile is capable of carrying nuclear warheads, although there was no suggestion that the one used in the overnight attack had been fitted with them.
The Russian Defence Ministry said the strike had targeted critical infrastructure in Ukraine. It said Russia had also used attack drones and high-precision long-range land and sea-based weapons.
“The strike’s targets were hit,” the ministry said in a statement, describing the targets as a factory producing drones used in the alleged attack against Putin’s residence, as well as energy infrastructure.
Lviv regional Governor Maksym Kozytskyi said a critical infrastructure facility had been targeted. Local media said Stryi, a gas field with a huge gas storage facility, was probably the intended target.
Russian war correspondents released a video purportedly showing the moment the Oreshnik struck its target in western Ukraine. Filmed across a snow-covered landscape, what looked like six flashes were seen striking the ground followed by a loud bang and a series of detonations. Reuters could not immediately verify the authenticity of the video.
Ukraine has called the Russian allegation that its drones tried to attack one of Putin’s residences in the Novgorod region on December 29 “an absurd lie” designed to sabotage already troubled peace talks.
Strike Reported By Head Of Western Ukrainian Region
The Ukrainian air force confirmed on Friday that Russia had fired an Oreshnik missile launched from the Kapustin Yar test range near the Caspian Sea.
Moscow first fired an Oreshnik – Russian for “hazel tree” – against what it said was a military factory in Ukraine in November 2024. On that occasion Ukrainian sources said the missile was carrying dummy warheads, not explosives, and caused limited damage.
Putin has said that the Oreshnik’s destructive power is comparable to that of a nuclear weapon, even when fitted with a conventional warhead. Some Western officials have expressed scepticism about the Oreshnik’s capabilities. One U.S. official said in December 2024 that the weapon was not seen as a game-changer on the battlefield.
Russia released a video in December of what it said was the deployment of the Oreshnik missile system in close ally Belarus, a move meant to boost Moscow’s ability to strike targets across Europe in the event of a war.
(With inputs from Reuters)
