Russia launches Oreshnik missile in Kyiv attack
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- Russia deployed the hypersonic Oreshnik ballistic missile in a mass drone and missile attack on Kyiv, marking the weapon’s third use in the four‑year war.
- Ukrainian air defenses shot down or jammed 549 of the 600 strike drones and 55 of the 90 missiles, while 19 missiles failed to reach their targets.
- The attack caused at least two civilian deaths and injured at least 83 people, damaging buildings across the capital, including government offices, schools, a market and residential blocks.
- Albanian foreign minister Ferit Hoxha reported that the residence of Albania’s ambassador in Ukraine was hit, condemning the strike as “unacceptable” and a “grave escalation.”
- European Union officials, including France’s Emmanuel Macron and Germany’s Friedrich Merz, condemned the use of the Oreshnik missile and said EU diplomats would meet to increase pressure on Russia.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Ukraine’s shortage of Patriot‑type interceptors hampers its ability to down ballistic missiles, and that developing a domestic alternative is a top priority for the Defense Ministry.
Why it matters: The strike underscores Russia’s willingness to use its most advanced hypersonic weapon against civilian centers, intensifying Kyiv’s security challenges while exposing Ukraine’s critical shortfall in ballistic‑missile interceptors, thereby heightening the urgency for Western arms deliveries and a domestic air‑defence solution.
