Russia said Friday it deployed its new Oreshnik ballistic missile alongside other weapons in a large-scale overnight strike on Ukraine.
Ukrainian officials said four people were killed and at least 22 others wounded in the capital. Moscow did not disclose where the Oreshnik was used, but Russian media and military bloggers said the missile struck a major underground natural gas storage facility in Ukraine’s western Lviv region.
Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia launched 242 drones and 36 missiles, including one medium-range ballistic missile. It did not identify the missile as an Oreshnik but said it was fired from the Kapustin Yar test site in Russia’s Astrakhan region, which is believed to host the Oreshnik launcher.
Russia’s Defense Ministry described the attack as retaliation for what it claimed was a Ukrainian drone strike on President Vladimir Putin’s residence last month, an allegation rejected by both Ukraine and U.S. President Donald Trump.
The attack came amid a new chill in relations between Moscow and Washington after Russia condemned the U.S. seizure of an oil tanker in the North Atlantic. It also followed signals from Trump that he supports a hard-hitting sanctions package aimed at economically crippling Moscow.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Ukraine would initiate international action in response to the missile’s use, including an urgent meeting of the U.N. Security Council and a session of the NATO-Ukraine Council.
“Such a strike close to the EU and NATO border is a grave threat to security on the European continent and a test for the transatlantic community. We demand strong responses to Russia’s reckless actions,” Sybiha said in a post on X.
Lviv Mayor Andrii Sadovyi said Russia struck critical infrastructure with a ballistic missile but did not provide details. He said the missile traveled at a speed of about 13,000 kilometers (8,100 miles) per hour and that the specific type of rocket was under investigation.
Russia first tested the Oreshnik, Russian for “hazelnut tree,” in a strike on a Ukrainian factory in November 2024. Putin has boasted that the missile’s multiple warheads plunge at speeds of up to Mach 10 and cannot be intercepted, and that several used in a conventional strike could be as devastating as a nuclear attack. The Oreshnik is also capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
Putin has warned the West that Russia could next use the Oreshnik against allies of Kyiv that have allowed Ukraine to strike targets inside Russia with longer-range missiles.
After the overnight strike on Kyiv, those killed included an emergency medical worker, said Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration. Five rescue workers were injured while responding to attack sites, Ukraine’s security service said.
Several districts of Kyiv were hit, Tkachenko said. In the Desnianskyi district, a drone crashed onto the roof of a multistory building. At another location in the same district, the first two floors of a residential building were damaged.
In the Dnipro district, debris from a drone damaged a multistory building and sparked a fire.
Dmytro Karpenko said his windows were shattered in the attack. When he saw his neighbor’s house on fire, he rushed out to help.
“What Russia is doing shows they do not want peace,” said Karpenko, 45. “But people want peace. People are suffering. People are dying.”
Running water and electricity were disrupted in parts of the capital as a result of the attack, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
The strike came just hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned the nation of Russia’s plans for a large-scale offensive, saying Moscow aimed to exploit frigid weather conditions that left roads and streets dangerously icy.
