Russia fired a nuclear-capable missile at Ukraine late Thursday in a retaliatory strike for an alleged attack on an official residence of President Vladimir Putin.
The Russian Defense Ministry said an Oreshnik hypersonic missile was launched from a strategic nuclear testing site during massive overnight bombing of the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, less than 50 miles from the Polish border.
Explosions were reported in Lviv after the threat of an intermediate-range ballistic missile was detected from Russia’s Kapustin Yar site just before midnight, the Ukrainian air force said in a statement early Friday.
The Oreshnik — Russian for hazel tree — is a hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear payload and reaching Mach 10.
A firefighter works at the site of the apartment building hit by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine, on January 8, 2026. via REUTERS
Russia’s nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile. Anadolu via Getty Images
Ukrainian officials measured one missile, believed to be the Oreshnik, at 8,000 mph.
Russia also deployed drones and high-precision long-range land- and sea-based weapons during the late-night strikes.
“The strike’s targets were hit. The targets included facilities producing unmanned aerial vehicles used in the terrorist attack (allegedly against the Putin residence), as well as energy infrastructure supporting Ukraine’s military-industrial complex,” the ministry said in a statement.
Russian officials said the attack was in response to Putin’s claims that Ukraine had attempted to assassinate him at one of his residences with a massive drone strike in December.
The body of a paramedic who was killed during a Russian drone strike lies on the ground at the site of an apartment building hit by another Russian drone, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, on January 9, 2026. via REUTERSCIA and Ukrainian officials dismissed the attack on Putin’s residence in the northwest Novgorod region, describing it as “a complete fabrication,” finding no evidence to support the Russian tyrant’s wild allegation.
Officials claimed the attack was Putin’s attempt to derail ongoing peace negotiations to end the nearly four-year-old invasion.
Thursday’s strike marks only the second time Russia has fired the missile across the border into Ukraine and signals an ominous threat to Ukraine and its Western allies.
Residents stand in front of a building that was hit during a Russian drone and missile attack in Kyiv on January 9, 2026. REUTERSIt was first used in an attack around Dnipro back in November 2024.
Putin said he fired the first missile in response to Kyiv’s use of British and American missiles to attack Russian territory.
Putin described it as a medium-range missile, countering Ukraine’s claim that it was the first use of a full intercontinental ballistic missile.
The proximity of Thursday’s blast to NATO member Poland heightened fears of possible escalation.
This grab from a handout footage released by the Russian Defense Ministry press service on December 30, 2025, shows the deployment of a Russian Oreshnik hypersonic missile at an undisclosed location in Belarus. Russian Defence Ministry/AFP via Getty ImagesRussian officials claimed the strikes damaged drone production sites and energy infrastructures.
Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi wrote on Telegram that the explosions damaged unspecified infrastructure.
The strike comes as Russia rejected the latest US-backed offering to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
Moscow’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs slammed the US-European proposal for security assurances for Ukraine, saying the protection plan amounts to “a true axis of war” in a blistering statement.
“The document turned out to be extremely far from a peace settlement. The declaration is not aimed at achieving a lasting peace and security but rather at continuing the militarization, escalation, and further conflict aggravation,” the ministry claimed.
With Post wires
