Russia has launched its new hypersonic Oreshnik missile at a target in western Ukraine, close to the European Union and Nato border, during a massive overnight attack. Ukraine confirmed the strike, which Moscow claimed was retaliation for an alleged Ukrainian drone attack on President Vladimir Putin's residence—an accusation Kyiv and Washington have dismissed as false.
Ukraine's foreign minister described the use of the intermediate-range ballistic missile near the EU border as a 'grave threat' to European security and called on allies to increase pressure on Moscow. Kyiv also rejected Russia's justification for the strike as 'absurd'. Ukraine's security service released photos of what it said were Oreshnik fragments recovered in the Lviv region, where the governor reported damage to a critical infrastructure facility.
The Oreshnik missile, capable of carrying nuclear warheads, was first used in November 2024, when it struck a Ukrainian military-industrial facility with dummy warheads. Initial reports suggest Friday's strike also used inert warheads, indicating a largely symbolic launch. The attack came days after Ukraine's European allies agreed to provide postwar security guarantees in the event of a ceasefire.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called the missile use a clear escalation and a warning to Europe and the US, urging member states to bolster air defences and impose tougher sanctions on Moscow. Putin has repeatedly threatened to use Oreshnik against countries supplying long-range weapons to Ukraine for strikes inside Russia.
Separately, Russian strikes hit several districts of Kyiv, killing at least one person and injuring five rescue workers. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said half of the capital's apartment blocks lost heating, while President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported damage to the Qatar embassy building. The Oreshnik launch capped a week of progress on postwar security plans, with Britain and France offering to deploy troops after a peace agreement—a move Russia's foreign ministry rejected as a 'direct threat'.
