Vladimir Putin boldly deployed the nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile, which travels at 8,000mph, in an attack on Ukraine, with one missile striking dangerously close to a NATO member. Ukrainian authorities reported four fatalities and at least 22 injuries in the assault on Kyiv, while Russian officials remained silent on the missile’s exact impact location. However, military analysts in Ukraine suggested that some missiles targeted a major underground natural gas storage facility near the Lviv region, adjacent to Poland.
The Russian Defense Ministry justified the attack as retaliation for what they claimed was a Ukrainian drone strike on President Putin’s residence a month earlier. Both Ukraine and US President Donald Trump refuted the Russian allegation of an attack on Putin’s residence.
Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadoviy confirmed that Russia hit critical infrastructure with a ballistic missile but refrained from providing specifics. He mentioned that the missile’s speed exceeded 8,000 miles per hour, and further investigations were underway to determine the rocket type.
The Oreshnik missile, tested by Russia for the first time in November 2024, was designed to strike a Ukrainian factory. Putin boasted about the missile’s capabilities, stating that its multiple warheads travel at Mach 10 speeds and are virtually unstoppable. He also mentioned that a conventional strike with several Oreshnik missiles could be as devastating as a nuclear attack, as the missile is capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
Following the attack on Ukraine’s capital, which resulted in casualties including an emergency medical aid worker, Kyiv’s city military administration head Tymur Tkachenko reported that five rescue workers were injured while responding to the attack sites. In one district, a drone crashed onto a building’s roof, while in another district, a residential building’s first two floors were damaged.
In the Dnipro district, a drone caused damage to a multi-storey building, leading to a fire outbreak. The attack also disrupted water and electricity supply in parts of Kyiv, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko.
The assault occurred shortly after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned the nation about Russia’s plans for a large-scale offensive. Zelenskyy highlighted Russia’s attempt to exploit the icy conditions caused by freezing weather in the capital, making roads and streets extremely hazardous.