Vladimir Putin has boldly launched the Oreshnik missile, capable of traveling at 8,000mph and carrying nuclear warheads, in an attack on Ukraine, with one missile striking dangerously close to a NATO member. Ukrainian authorities reported four fatalities and at least 22 injuries in the assault on the capital city of Kyiv. While Russian officials remained silent on the missile’s exact impact location, sources within Ukraine suggested that some missiles targeted a significant underground natural gas storage facility near the Lviv region, bordering Poland.
The Russian Defense Ministry justified the attack as retaliation for what they allege was a Ukrainian drone strike on President Putin’s residence the previous month. However, both Ukraine and US President Donald Trump have refuted these claims by Russia. Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadoviy confirmed that Russia had targeted critical infrastructure with a ballistic missile but refrained from providing further specifics. He mentioned that the missile had a velocity exceeding 8,000 miles per hour, and the specific missile type was under investigation.
The Oreshnik missile, initially tested by Russia in November 2024 on a Ukrainian factory, has been highlighted by Putin for its multiple warheads capable of reaching speeds of up to Mach 10, making interception impossible. He also boasted that a conventional strike employing multiple Oreshnik missiles could be as devastating as a nuclear attack, as the missile is capable of carrying nuclear payloads.
In a chilling warning, Putin suggested that Russia might deploy the Oreshnik against Kyiv’s allies who permitted Ukraine to be targeted by employing their long-range missiles. Following the assault on Kyiv, casualties included an emergency medical aid worker, as confirmed by Kyiv city military administration head Tymur Tkachenko.
Responding to ongoing attacks, five rescue workers sustained injuries, with a drone crashing onto a building’s roof in the Desnyanskyi district. In another incident in the same district, a residential building’s first two floors suffered damage. In the Dnipro district, parts of a drone caused a fire in a multi-storey building, leading to disruptions in water and electricity supply in parts of Kyiv, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko.
The attack occurred shortly after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned the nation about Russia’s plans for a large-scale offensive. Zelenskyy noted that Russia aimed to exploit the freezing weather conditions in the capital, creating hazardous icy roads and streets.