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Russia fired hypersonic Oreshnik missile at Ukrainian site near Polish border, officials say

09.01.2026 13:15
Russia fired a hypersonic Oreshnik missile overnight into Friday at a target in western Ukraine near the Polish border, a strike Kyiv described as a serious escalation and a new threat to European security.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.Photo: Mfa.gov.ua, CC BY 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Moscow said it launched the ballistic missile in retaliation for what it claims was a Ukrainian drone attack last month on one of President Vladimir Putin’s residences, news agencies reported.

Ukraine has denied carrying out such an attack, and US officials have said it did not occur.

The strike marked only the second known use of the Oreshnik against Ukraine, according to the Reuters news agency.

The missile hit Ukraine’s Lviv region, about 60 kilometres from the Polish border, officials said.

Russian officials said the target was a drone production facility and energy infrastructure, while Ukrainian authorities said unspecified infrastructure was struck, Reuters reported.

The attack came during a broader wave of overnight airstrikes that Ukrainian officials said killed at least four people in Kyiv, disrupted power supplies in the capital and damaged the Qatari embassy.

The Oreshnik missile, which Russia says is difficult to intercept, is capable of carrying nuclear warheads, according to experts.

"Such a strike close to the EU and NATO border is a grave threat to security on the European continent and a test for the transatlantic community," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on X.

“It is absurd that Russia attempts to justify this strike with the fake 'Putin residence attack' that never happened,” he added.

“Using an intermediate-range ballistic missile near the EU and NATO border is a global threat and demands a global response," he also said.

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas condemned the strike, calling Russia’s reported use of the Oreshnik “a clear escalation” and a warning to Europe and the United States.

“EU countries must dig deeper into their air defence stocks and deliver now,” Kallas said on X.

"We must also further raise the cost of this war for Moscow, including through tougher sanctions," she added.

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Source: Reuters, IAR, PAP