Attack near EU border
Ukraine: Violent detonations near the EU border
On Thursday night, several heavy air strikes were carried out in western Ukraine, not far from the EU border. Due to the nature of the detonations and the impact, there was immediate speculation about the use of Russia's new medium-range missile, the "Oreschnik" (hazel bush). Shortly afterwards, the Kremlin confirmed the attack. "Oreschnik" missiles have repeatedly made NATO planners nervous in the past: there are hardly any suitable defenses against them, not even in core Europe.
"The Russian armed forces have launched a massive strike with ground- and sea-based high-precision long-range weapons against critical objects in Ukraine, including the Oreschnik medium-range complex and drones," said a statement from the Ministry of Defense in Moscow. This was in retaliation for the alleged Ukrainian attack on the residence of Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin in Waldai, northern Russia, shortly before the turn of the year.
Retaliation for "terrorist attack" on Putin's residence
After the alleged attack in Valdai, the Kremlin spoke of an attempted terrorist attack. US President Donald Trump also criticized such a strike. Ukraine, for its part, denied that it had launched any attack on the residence. Experts also doubt the credibility of the information presented by Russia.
Ukraine had expected a heavy Russian air strike on Thursday evening. President Volodymyr Zelensky warned in his evening address: "There is information that there could be a new massive Russian attack tonight." Citizens should listen for air raid sirens and take refuge in shelters.
Shortly afterwards, the region was shaken by several heavy explosions. Ukrainian military blogs then published alleged videos from the region (see also above) showing six consecutive impacts. Among other things, a critical infrastructure object had been hit, regional governor Maksym Kosyzkyj explained on Telegram.
According to residents, it was like several earthquakes in a row
Residents of the region described the loud impacts as being like several earthquakes in a row. No information was provided about the target. However, the Lviv region is home to the Stryj underground gas storage facility, which has been the target of Russian attacks on several occasions.
Meanwhile, four people were killed and 19 others injured in a Russian drone attack on Kyiv. This was posted by Mayor Vitali Klitschko on Telegram. The attack also caused significant damage to residential buildings and infrastructure and led to water supply disruptions in some districts. According to Klitschko, one of the fatalities was a paramedic. He was killed while responding to a call at a residential building hit by drones. Four other members of his team were injured in the incident.
According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, a Russian drone damaged the Qatari embassy building in Kyiv during the nighttime attacks. Qatar is helping to mediate talks with Russia on the exchange of prisoners of war, Zelensky said via the short message service Telegram. In addition, 20 residential buildings were damaged. Following the massive attacks on his country, Zelensky called for a "clear response from the international community" on the messaging service X (see post above).
Massive power outage after Ukrainian attack in Russia
Meanwhile, according to local authorities, a Ukrainian attack on the western Russian region of Belgorod resulted in a widespread failure of electricity, heat, and water supplies. The shelling of an infrastructure facility with missiles cut off 556,000 people from the power supply, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram.
First used in November 2024
According to Russian sources, the new medium-range missile "Oreschnik" was first fired in November 2024 at the southern Ukrainian city of Dnipro. This launch also took place from Kapustin Yar near Astrakhan in southern Russia. According to Ukrainian sources, the six warheads did not contain any explosives at the time. Kremlin leader Putin spoke of a test and threatened that more would follow. With its multiple warheads and extremely high speed of more than 10 times the speed of sound, the "Oreschnik" is considered virtually impossible to intercept. New defense missiles such as the Western "Arrow," which could theoretically do so, are only available in Europe in isolated cases. Germany is currently in the process of procuring the "Arrow."
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