Russia uses new hypersonic missile on Ukraine
Russia used its new Oreshnik ballistic missile along with other weapons in a major attack on Ukraine.
Ukrainian officials said four people were killed and at least 22 were injured in the capital overnight.
Russia did not say where Oreshnik hit, but Russian media and military bloggers said Oreshnik targeted a massive underground natural gas storage facility in Ukraine’s western Lviv region.
The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia attacked Ukraine with a combination of 242 drones and 36 missiles.
It was stated that one medium-range ballistic missile was used, but it was not stated that it was Oreshnik.
The statement stated that the missile was launched from the Kasputin Yar test site in Russia’s Astrakhan region and is believed to be the location of the Oreshnik missile launcher.
The Russian defense ministry said the attack was Moscow’s retaliation for a Ukrainian drone attack on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s residence in December.
Both Ukraine and US President Donald Trump rejected Russia’s claim that Putin’s residence was attacked.
The attack came amid a new chill in relations between Moscow and Washington after Russia condemned the US seizure of an oil tanker in the North Atlantic.
It also comes as Trump signaled his agreement to a tough package of sanctions that would cripple Moscow economically.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that Ukraine would initiate international action in response to the use of missiles, including an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council and a Ukraine-NATO Council meeting.
“Such an attack close to the EU and NATO border is a serious threat to the security of the European continent and a test for the transatlantic community. We demand strong responses to Russia’s reckless actions,” he said in a post on channel X.
Lviv Mayor Andrii Sadovyi said that Russia hit critical infrastructure with a ballistic missile, but did not provide details.
He said the missile was traveling at a speed of 13,000 km per hour and the specific type of rocket was being investigated.
Russia first tested the hazelnut tree Oreshnik in Russia to attack a factory in Ukraine in November 2024.
Putin boasted that Oreshnik’s multiple warheads were launched at speeds of up to Mach 10 and could not be stopped, and that using many of them in a conventional attack could be as devastating as a nuclear attack.
Oreshnik can also carry nuclear weapons.
The Russian leader warned the West that Russia could now use Oreshnik against allies who allowed Kiev to attack inside Russia with its long-range missiles.
Timur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, said an emergency medical aid worker was among the dead after the night attack on Ukraine’s capital.
Ukraine’s security service said five rescue workers were injured while responding to ongoing attacks.
Tkachenko said that many areas in Kiev were hit in the attack.
A drone crashed onto the roof of a multi-storey building in the Desnyanskyi district, and the first two floors of a residential building at another address in the same district were damaged.
In the Dnipro district, parts of the unmanned aerial vehicle damaged a multi-storey building and a fire broke out.
Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that water and electricity were cut off in some parts of the capital after the attack.
The attack came just hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned the nation of Russia’s intention for a large-scale attack.
