Russia Launches Oreshnik Missile as 90 Missiles, 600 Drones Hit Kyiv

Russia launched 90 missiles and 600 attack drones in one of its biggest overnight aerial assaults on Ukraine, including an Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile, and the barrage killed at least two people in Kyiv, Ukrainian officials said.

“The battlefield between Russia and Ukraine is witnessing a new escalation after Moscow—on Sunday—announced it had used the Orishnik ballistic missile (Hazelnut Tree) in a wide-scale attack that targeted Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, and other regions, in response to what it described as Ukrainian 'terrorist' attacks”

Al-Jazeera Net

The BBC reported that the large-scale wave of strikes left four people dead and dozens injured, with loud explosions heard across the capital throughout the night.

Al-Jazeera Net

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv was the main target, while Russia’s defence ministry said the Oreshnik hypersonic missile was used in strikes it described as coming in response to Ukraine’s "attacks on civilian infrastructure".

The Washington Post said the attack was among the biggest overnight aerial assaults since the beginning of Russia's invasion, and it described the Oreshnik as an intermediate-range ballistic missile used during the overnight barrage.

European leaders condemned the overnight Russian strikes after warnings from Zelensky that Russia was planning an attack and may have been preparing to use the Oreshnik missile, and the BBC said UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper vowed to "keep up pressure on Russia".

The BBC also quoted Zelensky saying Russia had launched the Oreshnik missile against the city of Bila Tserkva in the Kyiv region, while the Ukrainian presidential office later said it was not confirming that, saying work was ongoing to determine exactly what had been used.

AP News

In a separate framing of the same attack, the Guardian reported Zelensky wrote on X that "Unfortunately, not all of the ballistic missiles were intercepted – the largest number of hits was in Kyiv."

The Guardian added that Russia’s defence ministry confirmed the use of the Oreshnik and said it carried out successful attacks on Ukrainian military command facilities, airbases and other military enterprises, using Oreshnik, Iskander, Kinzhal and Zircon missiles.

Ukraine’s air force said that from 18:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Saturday it detected 90 missiles and 600 drones, and early data showed 55 ballistic and cruise missiles and 549 drones were shot down or intercepted, while 19 missiles may not have reached their targets.

“Large-scale Russian attack on Ukraine leaves four dead and dozens injured Russia carried out a deadly large-scale wave of strikes against Ukraine, firing hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles overnight”

BBC

The BBC said the attack damaged dozens of residential buildings, a school, an opera house and a museum, and it reported that the Chornobyl Museum in Kyiv had been "effectively destroyed".

The BBC also said the apparent interception failures underscored Ukraine’s chronic shortage of air defense missiles capable of downing ballistic weapons, and it noted that Kyiv depends on US-made Patriot systems for such interceptions, with interceptor missile stocks remaining limited.

In the Guardian’s account, Zelensky wrote that "It is important that this does not pass without consequences for Russia," and the BBC said European leaders expected to discuss further pressure on Russia next week.