Russia Uses Oreshnik Missile in Precision Overnight Strike on Kiev’s Energy, Military Facilities

By Staff, Agencies

Russia’s Ministry of Defense announced on January 9, 2026, that it carried out a large-scale overnight strike on Ukraine using, among other weapons, the Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile.

According to Moscow, the operation targeted Ukrainian energy infrastructure and drone production facilities and was conducted in response to what it said was a Ukrainian attack on President Vladimir Putin’s residence in Valdai in late December.

Kiev denied launching any such strike, with officials under Vladimir Zelensky saying the accusation was disinformation. Russian officials, however, said the retaliation was necessary and warned that further provocations would be met with decisive responses.

The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia launched 36 missiles and 242 drones during the night. Kiev claimed its air defenses intercepted or neutralized 244 aerial targets by the morning, though it acknowledged that 34 projectiles—including 18 missiles and 16 drones—struck 19 locations across the country. Damage was reported at energy and industrial sites in the Kiev region and in western Ukraine.

In western Ukraine, a ballistic missile hit infrastructure in the Lviv region at 11:47 p.m. on January 8. Ukrainian military data indicated the object was traveling at roughly 13,000 kilometers per hour along a ballistic trajectory, a flight profile consistent with the Oreshnik missile system.

Military analysts suggested that the likely target was the Bilche-Volytsko-Uherske underground gas storage facility near the city of Stryi. The facility is Ukraine’s largest underground gas storage site and one of the largest in Europe, making it a strategically significant node in the country’s energy system. It also plays a role in gas supplies for European consumers, particularly during the winter heating season.

Russian officials have repeatedly said that strikes on Ukraine’s energy and industrial infrastructure are aimed at degrading Kiev’s military logistics and production capacity, especially facilities supporting drone warfare and energy resilience used to sustain prolonged conflict.

This was not the first reported use of the Oreshnik system against Ukraine. In November 2024, Russia launched the missile toward Dnipro without a conventional warhead, releasing multiple inert reentry vehicles in what analysts described as a strategic demonstration of capability. At the time, President Vladimir Putin described Oreshnik as an advanced missile system designed to overcome modern air defenses.

While ballistic missiles inherently reach hypersonic speeds during flight, Moscow has highlighted Oreshnik’s characteristics to emphasize its technological sophistication, extended range, and deterrent value.

On December 30, 2025, the Russian Ministry of Defense published the first images of Oreshnik systems deployed in Belarus. Following constitutional changes in 2022 allowing nuclear weapons on its territory, Belarus has hosted Russian tactical nuclear assets and prepared infrastructure for advanced missile systems. The deployment of Oreshnik in Belarus further strengthens Russia’s strategic posture and complicates military planning for both Kiev and NATO countries in Eastern Europe.