Russia makes use of its new hypersonic missile in main assault on Ukraine and warning to the West

[ad_1] KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia bombarded Ukraine with a whole lot of drones and dozens of missiles in a large-scale in a single day assault, officers stated Friday, killing at the very least 4 folks within the capital. For less than the second time within the almost 4-year-old conflict, it used a robust, new hypersonic missile that struck western Ukraine in a transparent warning to Kyiv's NATO allies.

READ MORE: Ukraine's allies meet in Paris, but progress uncertain as Russia shows no signs of budging from demands

The extraordinary barrage and the launch of the nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile got here days after Ukraine and its allies reported main progress towards agreeing on the right way to defend the nation from additional Moscow aggression if a U.S.-led peace deal is struck.

Europe's leaders condemned the assault as "escalatory and unacceptable," and the European Union's prime overseas coverage envoy stated Russian President Vladimir Putin's reply to diplomacy was "extra missiles and destruction."

The assault additionally coincides with a brand new chill in relations between Moscow and Washington after Russia condemned the U.S. seizure of an oil tanker within the North Atlantic. It comes as U.S. President Donald Trump signaled he's on board with a hard-hitting sanctions package deal meant to economically cripple Moscow, which has given no public sign it's keen to budge from its maximalist calls for on Ukraine.

Kyiv condo buildings left with out warmth Ukrainian officers stated 4 folks have been killed and at the very least 25 wounded in Kyiv as condo buildings have been struck in a single day.

These killed included an emergency medical help employee, based on Kyiv Metropolis Navy Administration head Tymur Tkachenko. 4 medical doctors and one police officer have been injured whereas responding to the assaults, authorities stated.

About half of snowy Kyiv's condo buildings — almost 6,000 — have been left with out warmth amid daytime temperatures of about minus 8 levels Celsius (17.6 Fahrenheit), Mayor Vitali Klitschko stated. Water provides additionally have been disrupted.

Municipal providers restored energy and warmth to public amenities, together with hospitals and maternity wards, utilizing transportable boiler items, he stated

The assault broken the Qatari Embassy in Kyiv, based on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who famous that Qatar has performed a key position in mediating the trade of prisoners of conflict.

He referred to as for a "clear response" from the worldwide group, notably from the U.S., which he stated Russia takes critically.

"I'm devastated to see the size of the assaults that you have suffered in a single day. Putin's assaults are brutal, they're cynical," stated U.Ok. Protection Secretary John Healey, who was visiting Kyiv and famous the Russian drones have been geared toward residential blocks.

Moscow says assault was retaliation Ukraine's Safety Service stated it recognized particles from the Oreshnik missile within the Lviv area within the nation's west. It was fired from Russia's Kapustin Yar check vary close to the Caspian Sea in southwestern Russia and focused civilian infrastructure, investigators stated.

<img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-544507" class="size-large wp-image-544507" src="https://d3i6fh83elv35t.cloudfront.net/static/2026/01/2026-01-09T122853Z_1900863677_RC2OXIAKTPKB_RTRMADP_3_UKRAINE-CRISIS-ORESHNIK-SBU-1024x682.jpg" alt="A part of Russian nuclear-capable hypersonic Oreshnik missile system at the site of the Russian missile strike in Lviv region" width="1024" height="682" srcset="https://d3i6fh83elv35t.cloudfront.net/static/2026/01/2026-01-09T122853Z_1900863677_RC2OXIAKTPKB_RTRMADP_3_UKRAINE-CRISIS-ORESHNIK-SBU-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https://d3i6fh83elv35t.cloudfront.net/static/2026/01/2026-01-09T122853Z_1900863677_RC2OXIAKTPKB_RTRMADP_3_UKRAINE-CRISIS-ORESHNIK-SBU-300x200.jpg 300w, https://d3i6fh83elv35t.cloudfront.net/static/2026/01/2026-01-09T122853Z_1900863677_RC2OXIAKTPKB_RTRMADP_3_UKRAINE-CRISIS-ORESHNIK-SBU-768x512.jpg 768w, https://d3i6fh83elv35t.cloudfront.net/static/2026/01/2026-01-09T122853Z_1900863677_RC2OXIAKTPKB_RTRMADP_3_UKRAINE-CRISIS-ORESHNIK-SBU-425x283.jpg 425w, https://d3i6fh83elv35t.cloudfront.net/static/2026/01/2026-01-09T122853Z_1900863677_RC2OXIAKTPKB_RTRMADP_3_UKRAINE-CRISIS-ORESHNIK-SBU-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px"/> Part of Russian nuclear-capable hypersonic Oreshnik missile system on the website of the Russian missile strike, amid Russia's assault on Ukraine, in Lviv area, Ukraine, Jan. 9, 2026. Photograph supplied by Safety Service of Ukraine/Handout by way of Reuters

Russia's Protection Ministry stated the assault was a retaliation to what Moscow claimed was a Ukrainian drone strike on certainly one of Putin's residences final month. Each Trump and Ukraine rejected the Russian claim .

Moscow did not say the place the Oreshnik hit, however Russian media and navy bloggers stated it focused an underground pure fuel storage facility within the Lviv area. Western navy help flows to Ukraine from a provide hub in Poland simply throughout the border.

Putin has beforehand stated the Oreshnik streaks to its goal at Mach 10, "like a meteorite," and is proof against any missile protection system. A number of of them utilized in a traditional strike might be as devastating as a nuclear assault, based on Putin, who has warned the West that Russia may use it towards allies of Kyiv that permit it to strike inside Russia with longer-range missiles.

Ukrainian intelligence says the missile has six warheads, every carrying six submunitions.

Russia first used the Oreshnik missile on the Ukrainian metropolis of Dnipro in November 2024. Analysts say it provides Russia a brand new component of psychological warfare, unnerving Ukrainians and intimidating Western international locations that help Ukraine.

Ukraine seeks worldwide help Ukrainian International Minister Andrii Sybiha stated Ukraine can be initiating worldwide motion in response to the usage of the missile, together with an pressing assembly of the U.N. Safety Council and a gathering of the Ukraine-NATO Council.

"Such a strike near 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," he stated in a submit on X.

Pope Leo XIV, talking on the Vatican, urged the worldwide group to maintain pushing for peace and finish the struggling in Ukraine.

"Confronted with this tragic scenario, the Holy See strongly reiterates the urgent want for an instantaneous ceasefire, and for dialogue motivated by a honest seek for methods resulting in peace," the pontiff instructed ambassadors to the Vatican from around the globe.

The leaders of Britain, France and Germany stated they spoke concerning the assault and deemed it "escalatory and unacceptable."

EU overseas coverage chief, Kaja Kallas, stated the Oreshnik launch was "meant as a warning to Europe and to the U.S."

"Putin does not need peace, Russia's reply to diplomacy is extra missiles and destruction," Kallas wrote on social media.

Assaults hit Kyiv condo blocks A number of districts in Kyiv have been hit within the in a single day assault, based on Tkachenko, the town's navy administration chief. Within the Desnyanskyi district, a drone crashed onto the roof of a multistory constructing and the primary two flooring of one other residential constructing have been broken.

Within the Dnipro district, elements of a drone broken a multistory constructing and a hearth broke out.

Dmytro Karpenko's home windows have been shattered within the assault on Kyiv. When he noticed that his neighbor's home was burning, he rushed to assist him.

"What Russia is doing, after all, reveals that they don't need peace. However folks really need peace, individuals are struggling, individuals are dying," the 45-year previous stated.