Russian Defence Ministry Press Service
Russian Oreshnik missile launch
Moscow’s use of the Oreshnik hypersonic missile constitutes “a serious threat” to European security, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister said. This intercontinental ballistic missile, capable of carrying multiple nuclear warheads, reaches all of Europe and reaches London in 8 minutes.
Moscow announced this Friday that its armed forces launched a “massive attack” against Ukraine overnight, including a nuclear-capable missile.
The attack, using an Oreshnik ballistic missile, was described as a retaliation by an alleged to a residence belonging to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Oreshnik hit the Lviv region, close to the eastern border of the EU and NATO, the Ukrainian foreign minister wrote, Andrii Sybihain a no X, which highlighted that the attack represents “a serious threat security on the European continent”.
This is only the second known time that Moscow uses the Oreshnik hypersonic missile, which is capable of carrying nuclear weaponsafter in November 2024 it was used for the first time against the Ukrainian region of Dnipro.
The attack on the Lviv region was part of a wider Russian offensive throughout Ukraine, notes the .
The Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the scale and timing of the attack underscored the Moscow’s intention to maximize damage to the civilian population. According to Zelenskyy, Russia mainly targeted energy facilities and civil infrastructure.
“The attack occurred precisely when there was a cold snap significant — directed exactly against the normal life of ordinary people“, Zelenskyy no X.
“A clear reaction from the world is neededespecially from the United States, whose signals Russia truly listens to,” said Zelenskyy. “Russia has to feel consequences whenever it again focus on murders and the destruction of infrastructure.”
“It is absurd that Russia tries to justify this attack with a fake ‘attack to Putin’s residence’ that never happened“, added Andrii Sybiha in his publication in X. “This is further proof that Moscow does not need real reasons to its terror and war“.
In addition to the Oreshnik missile, the Russian attack included another 13 ballistic missiles22 cruise missiles and 242 drones, said Zelenskyy, who added that a Qatar Embassy building was damaged by a Russian drone.
Ukraine’s Western Air Command said in a Facebook post that the intermediate-range Oreshnik missile that struck Lviv was traveling at almost 13,000 km/hwith reports on social media indicating that the attack occurred just minutes after the air raid sirens sounded.
The Lviv regional military administration said experts carried out on-site tests and laboratory analyzes after the attack. “THE radiation level it is within normal limits,” they said, adding that no harmful substances were detected in the air.
In late December, Moscow placed Oreshnik missiles stationed in Belarus on “combat duty.” The weapons had been requested by the Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenkowho cited concerns about the presence of Polish and Lithuanian troops near his country’s western border.
What is Oreshnik?
Vladimir Putin promoted Oreshnik as an example of Russian technological prowessbuilt by a national military industry unhindered by Western economic sanctions.
According to the Pentagon, the Oreshnik, which could, is a modification of the Russian missile RS-26 Rubezhan intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM, that has been tested since 2011.
Timothy Wrightan expert on Russian missiles at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, says the name Oreshnik means “hazel“, a potential reference to their submunitions, which resemble bunches of hazelnuts. The missile carries multiple warheads that separate in flight and rush towards a target.
Yours first known use it was in November 2024, when Russia fired an Oreshnik at a military installation in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro.
That attack, which Putin said was a response to Ukraine’s use of American and British weapons to strike deeper into his country, was seen as a warning that Moscow could reach any part of Europe with the missile, note the .
Debris from the 2024 crash site in central Ukraine showed some physical differences between the Oreshnik and Rubezh missile systems. The Oreshnik measures around one meter in circumference, compared to almost two meters for the Rubezh, which may be due to the fact that the Oreshnik is designed to fly shorter distances do that o Rubez.
As an intercontinental ballistic missile, the Rubezh would be able to effectively hit targets anywhere on Earthexperts said, while an intermediate-range ballistic missile like the Oreshnik would only be able to fly about 5,500 kilometers. This would allow you reach most of Europe.
Intermediate-range ballistic missiles were banned for decadesunder a now-defunct treaty that resulted from the President’s historic meeting Ronald Reagan with the Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachevin 1986 and was considered a critical step in easing Cold War tensions.
This treaty was in force for years, but US withdrew from the agreement in 2019, during President Trump’s first term. The Trump administration argued that Russia had violated the pact for a long time.
Russia, which denied any knowledge of the violations, said in August last year that it would no longer comply with the terms of the treaty.
Based on previous tests, experts say they believe the Rubezh can carry up to four warheads. Ukrainian authorities stated that the Oreshnik used in Dnipro carried six warheadseach with a set of six submunitions.
The Oreshnik has often been described as a hypersonic missile; these weapons can travel at least 6,100 kilometers per hour. According to news reports at the time, citing Ukrainian sources, in the November attack the missile hit a speed exceeding Mach 11that is, more than 11 times the speed of sound.
Os ballistic missiles are propelled into the atmosphere by rockets before descending at high speeds due to the pull of gravity, which can make them very difficult to intercept by air defense systems, and almost impossible if submunitions are released.
According to Colonel Roman Kostenko, secretary of the defense and intelligence committee in the Ukrainian Parliament, a Ukrainian assessment concluded that the warheads used on Friday did not contain explosives.
This conclusion suggests that Russia fired the missile largely as a way to send a messageone that some European officials said they interpreted as a threat.
