The United States and Britain have condemned Russia for firing a nuclear-capable Oreshnik ballistic missile at Ukraine, at an emergency meeting of the UN security council. Tammy Bruce, US deputy ambassador, called the strike on Lviv a “dangerous and inexplicable escalation”, while Britain’s acting UN ambassador, James Kariuki, described it as “reckless”, saying it “threatens regional and international security and carries significant risk of escalation and miscalculation”.
Russia claimed the missile targeted an aviation repair factory, but Ukraine has not confirmed what was hit, saying it was part of a wider attack involving drones and other rockets. The rarely used, multiple-warhead Oreshnik is thought to be in limited supply, with Ukraine’s military claiming to have destroyed at least one on the ground. Observers have rated the two Oreshnik strikes so far as largely symbolic, with dummy warheads probably used, and analysts have questioned whether the missile is accurate enough to deliver non-nuclear bombs.
Meanwhile, Russian forces launched attacks on Kyiv and Kharkiv early on Tuesday, killing at least four people in Kharkiv and injuring six, according to its mayor Igor Terekhov. In Odesa, residential buildings, a hospital and a kindergarten were damaged, with at least five people wounded, said regional governor Sergiy Lysak.
On Monday, Kyiv buried medic Sergiy Smolyak, 56, who was killed in a drone attack as he rushed to rescue residents from a housing block struck earlier in a massive attack on the capital on Friday. “He was very kind, always calm and even-tempered. He saved so many people,” said nurse Ryta Dorosh, who worked with him before the war.
Separately, Russia has bombed two more civilian ships transporting food products in the Black Sea, according to Ukraine. An enemy drone struck a Panamanian-flagged tanker waiting to enter port, wounding a crew member, and a San Marino-flagged ship leaving with corn was also attacked, said regional development minister Oleksiy Kuleba. He described it as further proof that Russia is deliberately targeting civilian shipping and international trade.
The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine said last year was the deadliest for civilians since 2022, with 2,514 killed and 12,142 injured in 2025, a 31% rise on 2024. Separately, Kyiv announced that a US-linked investor group, Dobra Lithium, owned by TechMet and Rock Holdings, has won the rights to mine Ukraine’s Dobra lithium deposit, with billionaire Ronald S Lauder among the investors, according to reports.
