In a severe escalation of hostilities, Vladimir Putin has launched a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile strike perilously close to the border of the NATO alliance. The Russian defence ministry confirmed it used the 8,000mph Oreshnik missile to target Ukraine, with the impact believed to be just 40 miles from NATO and EU territory in Poland.
A Night of Death and Destruction
The attack on the night of January 8-9, 2026, formed part of a massive, coordinated assault across Ukraine. While the Oreshnik was aimed at the outskirts of Lviv, Kyiv and Volodymyr Zelensky's birthplace, Kryvyi Rih, also suffered heavy bombardment. In the capital, at least four people were killed and 19 wounded over six hours of strikes. A residential building in Kryvyi Rih was reportedly "simply cut in half" by a ballistic missile, leaving 23 victims, including six children, with one woman confirmed dead.
The primary target for the Oreshnik was the giant Stryi underground gas storage facility, Europe's largest, which is critical for Ukrainian energy supplies in midwinter. The missile, fired from the Kapustin Yar test range in Russia's Astrakhan region, covered the 900-mile distance in under 15 minutes, lighting up the night sky with bright flashes. The extent of the damage to the vital infrastructure remains unclear.
Moscow's Justification and Western Rebuttal
In a statement, the Russian defence ministry claimed the strike, which included drones and other precision weapons, was a direct response to an alleged Ukrainian attempt to assassinate Putin on December 29, 2025. They asserted the attack targeted a presidential residence in the Valdai area and drone production facilities. "Any terrorist actions by the criminal Ukrainian regime will not go unanswered," the ministry declared.
However, both Western intelligence agencies and Ukrainian officials adamantly deny that any such attack on Putin's residence occurred. This suggests the Kremlin may be using a fabricated pretext to justify a significant escalation in its campaign of terror against Ukrainian civilian infrastructure.
The "Unstoppable" Oreshnik: A Weapon of Terror
This marks only the second confirmed combat use of the "game-changing" Oreshnik system. The first was in November 2024 against Dnipro, where it was fired without a live warhead in what was seen as a psychological ploy. The missile's extraordinary speed makes it nearly impossible to intercept with current defence systems.
While Russia insists the warhead was conventional, claiming it generates temperatures of 4,000C—almost as hot as the sun's surface—the very deployment of a weapon with atomic capabilities so close to NATO borders is a brazen show of force. Analysts note that a launch from its new base in Belarus could potentially reach London in as little as eight minutes.
The strike on Lviv delivers a chilling message. It demonstrates Putin's apparent disregard for international calls for peace, including recent warnings from figures like Donald Trump, and signals his intent to widen the conflict's terror. By striking a critical energy asset on NATO's doorstep, Russia is deliberately testing the alliance's resolve and seeking to prove that no part of Ukraine is beyond its reach.
