Russia said Friday it deployed its new Oreshnik ballistic missile alongside other weapons in a large-scale overnight strike on Ukraine.
Ukrainian officials said four people were killed and at least 22 others wounded in the capital. Moscow did not disclose where the Oreshnik was used, but Russian media and military bloggers said the missile struck a major underground natural gas storage facility in Ukraine’s western Lviv region.
Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia launched 242 drones and 36 missiles, including one medium-range ballistic missile. It did not identify the missile as an Oreshnik but said it was fired from the Kapustin Yar test site in Russia’s Astrakhan region, which is believed to host the Oreshnik launcher.
Russia’s Defense Ministry described the attack as retaliation for what it claimed was a Ukrainian drone strike on President Vladimir Putin’s residence last month, an allegation rejected by both Ukraine and U.S. President Donald Trump.
The attack came amid a new chill in relations between Moscow and Washington after Russia condemned the U.S. seizure of an oil tanker in the North Atlantic. It also followed signals from Trump that he supports a hard-hitting sanctions package aimed at economically crippling Moscow.
