Russia hits Ukraine with Oreshnik hypersonic missile: Why it issues | Russia-Ukraine warfare Information

[ad_1] Russia fired its hypersonic Oreshnik missile in a single day at Ukraine, Moscow confirmed on Friday, hanging a metropolis barely miles away from the Ukrainian border with Poland, at a time when efforts to forge a peace deal are sputtering.

Some consultants say that Moscow carried out this assault to intimidate Ukraine’s European and Western allies.

Here's a nearer have a look at what occurred, why using the Oreshnik is critical, and why all of this issues.

What occurred? The Russian navy carried out the assault amid broader strikes on Ukrainian vitality infrastructure and drone manufacturing websites in and round Kyiv.

It added that the assault was carried out in response to an alleged Ukrainian drone strike on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s residence in Novgorod in December 2025.

Kyiv has denied that Ukraine attacked Putin’s residence. United States President Donald Trump has additionally rejected the declare that such an assault occurred.

In keeping with Ukraine, the newest strikes killed 4 individuals and injured at the very least 22 in Kyiv.

Russia additionally hit vital infrastructure in Lviv with an unidentified ballistic missile travelling at about 13,000km/h (greater than 8,000mph), in accordance with Mayor Andriy Sadovyi and Ukraine’s Air Drive, which stated the precise kind of missile was nonetheless being decided.

The place in Ukraine was the Oreshnik assault? In keeping with Russia, the strike in Lyiv was from the Oreshnik.

The western Ukrainian metropolis of Lviv is about 550km (340 miles) away from the capital, Kyiv.

Lyiv is close to the border with Poland, roughly 70km (45 miles) away.

What's the Oreshnik? The Oreshnik is an intermediate-range ballistic missile — the phrase means hazel tree in Russian. The missile’s a number of warheads fall in streaks of sunshine, apparently resembling the tree.

Hypersonic missiles journey at speeds of at the very least Mach 5 – 5 instances the velocity of sound – and might manoeuvre mid-flight, making them tougher to trace and intercept.

The Oreshnik can also be a nuclear‑succesful weapon, that means it's designed to have the ability to carry a nuclear warhead, even when it isn't at all times deployed with one.

The Oreshnik is believed to be a medium-range missile, with its use to date suggesting a spread of about 1,000 to 1,600km (620 to 990 miles).

Russia has solely fired the Oreshnik as soon as earlier than, in November 2024. Again then, Moscow stated that it had attacked a Ukrainian navy manufacturing unit.

This assault got here days after the US authorities led by former Democratic President Joe Biden authorised Ukraine to make use of US-supplied Military Tactical Missile Programs (ATACMS) to strike targets in Russia.

In 2024, the Pentagon stated that the Oreshnik was based mostly on the “RS-26 Rubezh” intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) first developed in 2008.

Putin has stated that the intermediate-range Oreshnik missile is inconceivable to intercept due to speeds reportedly greater than 10 instances the velocity of sound and that its harmful energy is comparable with that of a nuclear weapon, even when fitted with a traditional warhead.

On December 30, 2025, Russia deployed the Oreshnik system in Belarus in a transfer which might strengthen Moscow’s means to focus on Europe in a possible future battle.

Why was this assault notably important? In the course of the assault in November 2024, the Oreshnik missiles have been geared up with dummy warheads as a check assault, in accordance with Ukrainian sources, Reuters information company reported.

Therefore, the dummy warheads did restricted harm to Ukraine again then.

If the missiles have been geared up with explosives throughout the latest assault, it might mark the primary time that Russia used the Oreshnik missiles to their full non-nuclear capability whereas hanging Ukraine.

One more reason why this assault is critical is the situation of the goal.

Again in November 2024, the missiles hit Dnipro, which is in east-central Ukraine and isn't near Ukraine’s borders with different nations.

Nonetheless, this time, the missiles hit near Poland, which is a member of NATO.

Kyiv has labelled using the weapon near the European Union and NATO border a “grave risk” to European safety.

“Such a strike near [the] EU and NATO border is a grave risk to the safety on the European continent and a check for the transatlantic group. We demand sturdy responses to Russia’s reckless actions,” Ukrainian Overseas Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on social media.

“Vladimir Putin is utilizing this to speak with the West, as a result of he might undoubtedly obtain the identical operational results with out this missile,” Cyrille Bret, a Russia skilled on the Paris-based Montaigne Institute, instructed the AFP information company.

A UK authorities spokeswoman stated that, in a name on Friday, the leaders of United Kingdom, France and Germany condemned Russia’s use of the missile as “escalatory and unacceptable”.

Why does this matter? The most recent Russian assault comes as peace talks aimed toward ending the warfare in Ukraine proceed to stall. In February, the warfare will enter its fifth yr.

The most recent assault dangers undermining these ceasefire negotiations, at a time when the 2 sides stay far aside on core points reminiscent of territory.

Observers and analysts have beforehand instructed Al Jazeera that the difficulty of territorial concessions stays a serious sticking level.

Trump’s 28-point peace plan for Ukraine, which he unveiled in November 2025, concerned Ukraine ceding not solely giant quantities of land that Russia has occupied throughout practically 4 years of warfare, but additionally some territory that Kyiv’s forces at present management. Zelenskyy has said on quite a few events that that is unacceptable to Ukraine.

Most analysts are sceptical that any progress has been made on this level and stated the newest intensification in preventing won't, by itself, add to the already important issues in talks.

“I don’t suppose there may be something to derail at this level,” Marina Miron, an analyst at King’s Faculty London, instructed Al Jazeera in December 2025.

The peace course of “shouldn't be going effectively as a consequence of disagreements on key points between Ukraine and Russia”, she stated.

Mikhail Alexseev, a professor of political science at San Diego State College, instructed Al Jazeera that Moscow’s purpose is to not “finish or derail” peace talks, however as a substitute it's to “maintain them going as a canopy and an enabler of constant Russian brutal invasion in an try to wipe Ukraine off the world’s map no matter human price”.

“Russia began the warfare and Putin can finish it in 5 minutes if he needed to take action. All he must do is to comply with [US] President [Donald] Trump’s unconditional ceasefire proposals made early this yr.”