Russia has launched its advanced hypersonic Oreshnik missile against a target in western Ukraine, close to the European Union border, in a major overnight assault. Moscow claims the strike was retaliation for an alleged Ukrainian drone attack on President Vladimir Putin's residence late last month, an accusation firmly denied by both Kyiv and Washington.
Symbolic Strike with a Grave Warning
The Russian military confirmed it used the new intermediate-range ballistic missile, named after the hazel tree, during a barrage of attacks. Ukraine's foreign minister stated that deploying such a weapon near the EU and Nato frontier poses a 'grave threat' to European security and urged allies to increase pressure on Moscow. Initial analysis suggests the Oreshnik may have been armed with inert, or dummy, warheads, indicating the launch was largely a symbolic show of force.
This marks only the second known use of the Oreshnik, following a test launch in November 2024 against a Ukrainian military facility. President Putin has frequently touted the missile's capabilities, asserting it travels at over ten times the speed of sound and carries destructive power rivalling a nuclear weapon with a conventional warhead. While some Western analysts remain sceptical of these claims, Ukraine currently possesses no air defence system capable of intercepting the hypersonic weapon.
Capital Under Fire and Infrastructure Hit
Alongside the Oreshnik launch, Russian forces carried out drone and missile strikes on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, early on Friday. Attacks hit several districts, killing at least one person and injuring five rescue workers who responded to the scene, according to Ukrainian officials. Photographs showed residents surveying damage to a residential apartment building struck in the assault.
In Ukraine's western Lviv region, a critical infrastructure site was damaged. Unverified social media reports indicated the target could have been a significant underground gas storage facility, though this has not been officially confirmed.
Security Guarantees and Stalled Peace Prospects
The missile strike capped a week where Ukraine and its European allies advanced discussions on postwar security guarantees. Notably, Britain and France stated they were prepared to deploy troops to Ukraine following a future peace agreement. However, Russia's foreign ministry rejected this prospect outright, labelling the potential for Western troops on Ukrainian soil a 'direct threat'. This stance further clouds the already dim prospects for a negotiated end to the conflict.
Kyiv has dismissed Moscow's justification for the Oreshnik attack as 'absurd', reiterating that it does not conduct strikes on civilian residences in Russia. The incident underscores the escalating rhetoric and military posturing from the Kremlin, even as it faces growing international condemnation.
