Russia unleashes nuclear-capable Oreshnik ballistic missile in deadly overnight strike on Ukraine
Russia says it has used its new Oreshnik ballistic missile alongside other weapons in a large-scale overnight strike on Ukraine.
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Ukrainian officials said at least four people were killed and 22 wounded in the capital. Among the dead was an emergency medical worker, according to Kyiv’s military administration chief Tymur Tkachenko.
Five rescue workers were injured while responding to ongoing strikes, Ukraine’s security service said.
Moscow did not specify where the Oreshnik missile landed. Russian state media and military bloggers claimed it struck a vast underground natural gas storage facility in the western Lviv region.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said the attack was retaliation for what it claims was a Ukrainian drone strike on the residence of President Vladimir Putin last month. Ukraine has denied the allegation, as has US President Donald Trump.
The Russian Defence Ministry said: "Last night, in response to a terrorist attack by the Kyiv regime on the residence of the Russian president in Novgorod Oblast conducted on the night of 28-29 December 2025, the Russian Armed Forces launched a large-scale strike using high-precision long-range land- and sea-based weapons, including the Oreshnik mobile ground-based medium-range missile system and attack drones targeting critically important facilities in Ukraine."
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Lviv’s mayor, Andriy Sadoviy, said Russia struck critical infrastructure with a ballistic missile, adding that the projectile was travelling at more than 8,000 miles per hour. He said the precise type of missile was still being identified.
Russia first tested the Oreshnik, Russian for “hazelnut tree”, in November 2024, when it was used to strike a Ukrainian factory.
Mr Putin has repeatedly boasted that Oreshnik’s multiple warheads descend at speeds of up to Mach 10 and are impossible to intercept. He has claimed that several missiles used in a conventional strike could be as destructive as a nuclear attack. The system is also capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
The Kremlin leader has warned Western allies of Kyiv that Russia could deploy Oreshnik against them if they continue to allow Ukraine to strike targets inside Russia using long-range missiles.
In Kyiv, damage was reported across several districts. In Desnyanskyi, a drone crashed onto the roof of a multi-storey building, while at another address the first two floors of a residential block were damaged. In the Dnipro district, falling drone debris hit another apartment building, sparking a fire.
Running water and electricity were disrupted in parts of the capital, according to Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko.
The attack came just hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned the nation that Russia was preparing a major offensive.
He said Moscow was seeking to exploit freezing conditions in the capital, with icy roads and pavements making movement and emergency response more difficult.