Russia’s Ministry of Defense confirmed on Thursday the use of the Oreshnik intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile during a new series of strikes launched against critical targets on Ukrainian territory, within the framework of the conflict that began in 2022.
According to a statement issued by the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation carried out “a massive strike using long-range, high-precision weapons based on land and sea, including the Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile, as well as attack drones,” during the early morning hours.
According to the Ministry of Defense, the offensive was conducted “in response to the terrorist attack by the Kyiv regime against the residence of the Russian president in the Novgorod region,” which allegedly occurred on December 29, 2025. The statement noted that the targets struck were “drone production facilities used in the terrorist attack, as well as energy infrastructure that sustains the functioning of Ukraine’s military-industrial complex.”
“The objective of the strike was achieved,” the ministry stated, concluding its declaration by emphasizing that “any terrorist act by the criminal Ukrainian regime will continue to receive a response.”
Deployment of the Oreshnik system in Belarus
In parallel, Russia’s Ministry of Defense recently reported that the Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile system has officially assumed combat duty in Belarus, marking a new step in military cooperation between Moscow and Minsk.
According to the official statement released on December 30, “a solemn ceremony was held in the Republic of Belarus for the unit equipped with the mobile Oreshnik missile system to assume combat duty. The flag of the Strategic Missile Forces was raised following the completion of the military commissioning ritual.”
Background on the use of the Oreshnik missile
The Oreshnik missile was publicly mentioned for the first time in November 2024, when Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces carried out a strike against the Ukrainian city of Dnipro. Initial reports indicated that the weapon used was an RS-26 Rubezh missile, but both the U.S. government and Russian President Vladimir Putin later confirmed that a new experimental system known as Oreshnik had been employed.
At the time, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that the Oreshnik missiles had been deployed “in response to the use of U.S. and British weapons. On November 21 [2024], the Russian Armed Forces carried out a combined strike against one of Ukraine’s defense industrial complex facilities. This included a combat test of one of Russia’s latest medium-range missile systems. In this case, a ballistic missile equipped with non-nuclear hypersonic technology, designated Oreshnik by our missile forces.”
Reactions from Ukraine and the international community
Following the most recent attacks, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stated on the social media platform X that “an attack of this type near the EU and NATO border is a serious threat to security on the European continent and a test for the transatlantic community.” He added: “We demand strong responses to Russia’s reckless actions.”
From Moscow, officials reiterated that the offensive was carried out in response to an alleged Ukrainian attempt to attack President Putin’s residence. However, U.S. officials indicated that the CIA assessed that Ukraine did not intend to target a residence used by the Russian leader.
The attacks took place amid negotiations promoted by U.S. President Donald Trump and his envoys, aimed at bringing the conflict to an end. They also occurred hours after Russia warned that any European troops deployed in Ukraine as part of a peace agreement would be considered “legitimate targets,” and following the decision by the United States to seize a Russian-flagged oil tanker.
For its part, the Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia launched a total of 36 missiles and 242 drones overnight on Thursday, in one of the largest aerial offensives recorded in recent weeks.
*Images for illustrative purposes only.
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