- Russia launched a massive attack on Ukraine, including the Oresnik ballistic missile.
- The targets were Ukraine’s drone production facilities and energy infrastructure.
- In Kyiv, Russian drones killed at least three people and injured six others.
On Friday morning, the Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed that in response to the alleged Ukrainian attack on the residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin, it attacked targets in Ukraine, among other things, with an Oreshnik medium-range ballistic missile (Hazelnut). TASR informs about it based on the reports of the DPA and TASS agencies.
“The Russian Armed Forces launched a massive attack using long-range, high-precision ground and naval weapons, including the Oreshnik medium-range mobile land-based missile system,” the Russian Defense Ministry said, adding that “the goals of the attack were achieved.”
“The targets were facilities for the production of drones used in the terrorist attack (on Putin’s residence), as well as energy infrastructure supporting the operation of the Ukrainian military-industrial complex“, added the department.
Russian forces launched an attack on the Lviv region in western Ukraine on Friday night and hit critical infrastructure there, regional governor Maksym Kozycky and Lviv mayor Andriy Sadovy said.
According to the British station BBC, the spokesman of the Ukrainian army said that Russia launched an attack on the Lviv region, probably from Kapustyn Yar in the Astrakhan region, where, according to previous information, the Orešnik missile launch system was located. The launch of this missile on Friday morning was confirmed by the Russian Ministry of Defense.
The Russian army used Orešnik naosro for the first time with non-combat warheads on November 21, 2024 during the attack on the Ukrainian Dnipro. Russian President Vladimir Putin claims that these missiles cannot be intercepted due to their hypersonic speed.
Russian drones struck the Ukrainian capital
In Kyiv, a Russian drone attack killed at least three people and injured six others, according to local authorities. Shortly after 01:00 CET, the Ukrainian Air Force issued an air alert for the whole of Ukraine, reports TASR.
In the meantime, Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko announced that Russian drones struck the Ukrainian capital, causing fires in several neighborhoods. According to him, at least three people were killed and six others were injured in the attack in Kyiv. Damaged buildings were also reported from the metropolis.
On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi also warned the American and British embassies in Kyiv of a possible massive Russian attack. The US Embassy urged American citizens to be prepared to take shelter immediately in the event of an airstrike alert.
The attack on the border of Russia disconnected more than half a million people from electricity
Ukraine’s overnight attack left more than half a million people without electricity and heating and nearly 200,000 without water in the border region of Belgorod in western Russia. This was stated by regional governor Viačeslav Gladkov, TASR reports according to the AFP agency.
“As of today at 06:00 … in Belgorod region, 556,000 people in six villages are without electricity. Almost the same number of people are without heating, mainly in 1,920 apartment buildings. Almost 200,000 people are without water,” Gladkov wrote on the Telegram network.
He did not specify what targets the Ukrainian forces hit and with what. It will be possible to assess the total damage only when it becomes clear. All emergency components are in place and the restoration of energy and water supplies is underway, as well as the connection of reserve capacities installed during the last months. He promised more detailed information later on Friday.
