Russia fired a new nuclear-capable ballistic missile with multiple warheads at western Ukraine as part of a barrage of missiles and drones that pounded Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv where at least 4 were killed and dozens wounded.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said on January 9 that the use of the missile, called the Oreshnik, was in response to an alleged Ukrainian drone attack in late December that Moscow said had targeted a residence used by President Vladimir Putin. Kyiv denied the allegation, and the CIA has also called the allegation false.
Ukraine’s air force had warned of an imminent launch of a missile from Russia’s Kasputin Yar testing ground just before midnight. Later, it issued a statement saying a high-speed ballistic missile had been fired by Russia.
The US Embassy in Kyiv issued a security alert late on January 8, suggesting Moscow may have notified US officials ahead of time as a way to avoid alarming Washington. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had also warned of a possible massive air strike.
Damage or casualties from the missile strike was unclear. Multiple videos posted on Telegram and elsewhere by surveillance cameras in the western Lviv region appeared to show multiple objects streaking toward the ground –- a possible indication of multiple warheads being dropped — something the Oreshnik is reportedly capable of.
Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadoviy said the attack hit a critical infrastructure site and emergency services were working at the scene.
It marks the second time Moscow has used the new missile in its war against Ukraine; the first was in November 2024. Putin has bragged about the capabilities of the weapon and last year said it was being deployed to Belarus, a close ally of Moscow.
The Oreshnik strike was part of a barrage of drones and missiles that hit Ukrainian cities and towns overnight, including the capital, Kyiv.
Officials said at least four people died in the capital and more than 24 were wounded.
Russian strikes also hit the city of Kryviy Rih, in central Ukraine. The region has been struggling to recover from strikes that have cut off electricity and water supplies to hundreds of thousands of people.
At least 14 people were injured in Kryviv Rih, including two children, according to emergency officials.
Almost a dozen apartment buildings and infrastructure facilities were damaged. The strike on the city cut off power to several areas, including mines where people were working at the time.
According to the emergency service, seven miners who were trapped underground were evacuated from the mine.
Temperatures in Kryviy Rih, Dnipro, and Zaporizhzhya have been hovering just above freezing for days now.
The Russians “are trying to exploit the harsh winter weather, which has worsened significantly across many of our regions and is causing serious problems on the roads and with utilities,” Zelenskyy warned in in his nightly address.
Ukraine has stepped up its own aerial assaults on Russian target, firing an above-average number of drones over the first week of 2026.
In the Russian border region of Belgorod, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said that more than half a million people were left without power or heating after region’s utility infrastructure was hit. Nearly 200,000 people were also cut off from water supplies.
