Russia launched a large-scale overnight attack on Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles, killing at least four people, officials said Friday. The assault included the use of a new ballistic missile, the Oreshnik, which Russia claims travels at 10 times the speed of sound and is currently unstoppable.
Oreshnik Missile Used in Attack
The intense barrage and deployment of the nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile occurred days after Ukraine and its allies made progress toward agreeing on a defense framework should a peace deal to end Russia’s nearly four-year invasion be reached.
Despite months of U.S.-led peace efforts, fighting continues. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated he has achieved significant progress in peace settlement discussions with Washington envoys, but Moscow has not publicly indicated a willingness to compromise.
Zelenskyy called for a “clear response” from the international community, particularly the United States, emphasizing Russia’s attentiveness to U.S. actions.
Ukrainian officials reported four deaths and at least 25 injuries in Kyiv during the overnight attack, with apartment buildings among the structures hit. One of those killed was an emergency medical aid worker, according to Kyiv City Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko. Five rescue workers were also injured while responding to the attacks, Ukraine’s security service said.
Damage in Lviv
Russia’s Defence Ministry characterized the attack as retaliation for a Ukrainian drone strike on President Vladimir Putin’s residence last month. Both Ukraine and U.S. President Donald Trump have denied Russia’s claim regarding the attack on Putin’s residence.
Putin has previously described the Oreshnik as travelling at Mach 10, “like a meteorite,” and asserted its invulnerability to missile defense systems. He warned that multiple Oreshnik missiles in a conventional strike could be as devastating as a nuclear attack, and threatened the use of the missile against allies of Kyiv that allow strikes inside Russia with longer-range missiles.
Ukrainian intelligence indicates the missile has six warheads, each carrying six submunitions.
Russia did not disclose the specific location hit by the Oreshnik, but Russian media and military bloggers reported it targeted a large underground natural gas storage facility in Ukraine’s western Lviv region, a region also used for the transit of foreign military aid.
Ukraine’s Security Service identified debris from a Russian Oreshnik missile in the Lviv area, stating it was launched from Russia’s Kapustin Yar testing range and targeted civilian infrastructure.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha announced Ukraine would pursue international action in response to the missile’s use, including an urgent UN Security Council meeting and a Ukraine-NATO Council meeting.
“Such a strike close to EU and NATO border is a grave threat to the security on 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 X.
Lviv Mayor Andrii Sadovyi reported that critical infrastructure was struck by a ballistic missile travelling at approximately 13,000 km/h (Mach 10), with the specific type of rocket under investigation.
The leaders of Britain, France, and Germany described Russia’s use of the Oreshnik as “escalatory and unacceptable,” according to a statement released by Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office following a call with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Russia first deployed the Oreshnik missile against the Ukrainian city of Dnipro in November 2024. Analysts suggest it introduces a new element of psychological warfare, intended to unsettle Ukrainians and intimidate Western countries providing weaponry to Ukraine.
‘People really want peace’: Dnipro resident
In Kyiv, several districts were impacted, with a drone crashing onto the roof of a building in the Desnyanskyi district. The first two floors of a residential building were damaged in the same district. Parts of a drone damaged a multistory building and sparked a fire in the Dnipro district.
Dmytro Karpenko, a Kyiv resident, had his windows shattered in the attack and assisted a neighbor whose house caught fire. “What Russia is doing, of course, shows that they do not want peace. But people really want peace, people are suffering, people are dying,” Karpenko, 45, said.
The attack disrupted running water and electricity in parts of Kyiv, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko.
Zelenskyy stated the attack damaged the Qatari Embassy in Kyiv, noting Qatar’s role in mediating prisoner of war exchanges.
The attack occurred shortly after Zelenskyy warned the nation about Russia’s intentions for a large-scale offensive, anticipating Russia would exploit the frigid weather conditions in the capital.
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