Russia fired its nuclear-capable Oreshnik ballistic missile during a major overnight assault on Kyiv and surrounding areas, marking the third known battlefield use of the multiple-warhead weapon since its debut against Ukraine in 2024.The attack, carried out through the night into Sunday, combined roughly 600 strike drones with about 90 missiles launched from air, sea and ground platforms. Ukraine’s air defences said they intercepted most incoming weapons, including 549 drones and 55 missiles, but ballistic missiles and drone debris caused heavy damage across the capital and the wider Kyiv region.
At least four people were killed, including two in Kyiv and two in surrounding areas, while more than 80 were wounded. Residential blocks, schools, commercial buildings, water infrastructure and vehicles were hit or damaged as explosions shook central districts and emergency crews moved through several neighbourhoods after dawn. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said damage was recorded in multiple parts of the city, while regional authorities reported casualties beyond the capital.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia used the Oreshnik in the barrage, describing the launch as part of a wider campaign intended to overwhelm Ukraine’s air defence network and intimidate civilians. The missile was reported to have struck near Bila Tserkva, a city in Kyiv region, bringing one of Russia’s most politically sensitive weapons closer to the capital than in its earlier known deployments.
The Oreshnik was first used against Dnipro on 21 November 2024, when Moscow described the launch as a combat test of a new intermediate-range ballistic missile system. Its second known use came in January 2026, when Russia fired it towards the western Lviv region. The latest strike extends the weapon’s operational pattern from industrial and western targets to the capital’s wider defensive zone.
Moscow has promoted the Oreshnik as a hypersonic, hard-to-intercept missile capable of carrying conventional or nuclear payloads. The weapon is believed to be derived from Russia’s RS-26 Rubezh programme and designed to carry multiple independently targetable warheads or warhead-like payloads. Its deployment has added a strategic layer to Russia’s air campaign, raising concern that Moscow is using rare high-end systems not only for battlefield effect but also for political signalling.
Russia said the latest bombardment was retaliation for Ukrainian attacks on targets it described as civilian facilities on Russian-controlled or Russian territory. Kyiv has denied targeting civilians and has framed its strikes as part of a campaign against military, energy and logistics assets supporting Russia’s invasion.
The scale of the Kyiv attack reflected a pattern that has become increasingly difficult for Ukraine to counter: large drone swarms used to exhaust air defences, followed by ballistic and cruise missiles aimed at command sites, energy infrastructure, weapons production, transport nodes and urban services. Ukraine has pressed its partners for more Patriot interceptors and other high-altitude air defence systems, arguing that only a limited number of platforms can reliably counter ballistic threats.
The assault also hit areas beyond Kyiv. Cherkasy reported injuries after a drone struck an apartment building, while other regions recorded damage from missiles and unmanned aircraft. The breadth of the attack suggested a coordinated attempt to stretch Ukraine’s air defence coverage across several regions at once, complicating decisions on where to deploy scarce interceptors.
Kyiv’s civilian population faced another night in shelters and metro stations as air raid warnings continued for hours. Fires were reported in several districts, and rescue teams worked at damaged residential sites, schools and public facilities. Emergency services said falling debris caused part of the destruction, underscoring the risks even when incoming weapons are intercepted over densely populated areas.
The timing of the Oreshnik launch sharpened diplomatic pressure on Ukraine’s allies. Zelenskyy had warned shortly before the attack that intelligence from Ukraine and its partners indicated preparations for a possible strike involving the missile. The warning, followed by confirmation of its use, strengthened Kyiv’s argument that Russia is willing to escalate despite continuing international efforts to limit the war’s spread.
Western governments have treated Oreshnik launches as more than routine battlefield activity because the missile sits in a category associated with strategic deterrence. Even when fitted with conventional payloads, such systems carry political weight because of their range, speed and nuclear-capable design. Their use against Ukrainian targets blurs the line between operational strikes and coercive messaging aimed at governments supplying Kyiv.
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