Russia has fired its new hypersonic Oreshnik missile at a target in western Ukraine during a large overnight assault, marking a further escalation in the conflict.
Ukrainian authorities confirmed that the strike occurred near the country’s western border, close to the European Union and Nato frontier. Moscow said the launch of the intermediate-range ballistic missile was retaliation for an alleged Ukrainian drone attempt on President Vladimir Putin’s residence last month, a claim denied by both Kyiv and Washington.
Ukraine’s foreign minister described the strike as a “grave threat” to European security, warning that the use of such a weapon so close to Nato territory carried serious risks. He urged Ukraine’s partners to increase pressure on Moscow and dismissed Russia’s justification for the attack as “absurd”.
Ukraine’s security service released photographs showing what it said were fragments of an Oreshnik missile recovered in the Lviv region. The regional governor said Russian strikes had damaged a critical infrastructure facility. Unverified reports on social media suggested the site may have been a large underground gas storage facility.
Footage circulated by pro-Russian military bloggers appeared to show the strike taking place over a snow-covered area. The video shows several bright flashes hitting the ground, followed by a loud explosion and a series of secondary blasts.
Russia first used the Oreshnik missile in November 2024, when it claimed to have struck a Ukrainian military-industrial site. At the time, Ukrainian officials and independent analysts said the missile carried dummy warheads and caused limited damage.
Initial assessments indicate that the missile used in Friday’s attack also carried inert warheads, suggesting the launch was largely symbolic. The strike came shortly after Ukraine’s European allies agreed on key elements of postwar security guarantees in the event of a ceasefire.
President Putin has repeatedly cited the Oreshnik in recent months as a warning to Ukraine and the west. He has suggested it could be used against countries supplying Kyiv with weapons capable of striking targets inside Russia.
Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign policy chief, said the reported use of the missile represented a clear escalation and was intended as a signal to Europe and the United States. She called on EU states to draw further on their air defence reserves and to increase pressure on Moscow through tougher sanctions.
The Kremlin has claimed the Oreshnik travels at more than ten times the speed of sound and is impossible to intercept, with destructive power comparable to that of a nuclear weapon even when armed conventionally. Some western analysts have questioned these claims, although Ukraine currently lacks air defence systems capable of intercepting the missile.
The hypersonic strike formed part of a wider wave of Russian attacks overnight, including strikes on Kyiv. Several districts of the capital were hit, leaving at least one person dead, according to city officials. Five rescue workers were injured while responding to the attacks.
Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, said about half of the city’s apartment buildings were left without heating and advised residents with alternative accommodation to consider leaving the capital temporarily. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a building housing the Qatari embassy was damaged.
The missile launch capped a week in which Ukraine and its European allies said progress had been made on plans for postwar security guarantees. Britain and France announced earlier this week that they were prepared to deploy troops to Ukraine following a future peace agreement.
Russia’s foreign ministry rejected the proposal, describing the presence of western troops in Ukraine as a “direct threat”, further dimming hopes for a negotiated settlement.
