Russia launched a deadly wave of strikes against Ukraine on Saturday night, launching about 90 missiles and 600 attack drones, including two Oreshnik intermediate ballistic missile.
The attack killed two people in Kyiv, which was the centre of the assault.
The overnight attacks caused widespread damage in the city and injured more than 80 people, according to Kyiv mayor Vitaly Klitschko.
The attack also gained widespread attention and condemnation from world leaders after Russia used its Oreshnik missile. Russia’s Ministry of Defence confirmed that it used the missile in the attack just hours after. "The strike's targets were achieved, all designated objects were hit," the Russian Ministry of Defence reported.
What the Oreshnik missile can do
The Oreshnik (hazel tree) missile is an intermediate-range ballistic missile which Moscow says can reach targets in Europe while evading modern air defence. It can reportedly hit targets between 3000 and 5,500 kilometres away and travels at around Mach 10, or 10 times the speed of sound.
Russian officials said that speed makes it impossible for the current air defence system to detect the missile.
It was first used in a strike in Dnipro in 2024, Euronews reported. Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko has said the missile has also been deployed in Russian ally Belarus.
The weapon is capable of carrying multiple warheads (upto six) and travelling at hypersonic speeds. The weapon has a component called the Multiple Independently-targetable Reentry Vehicle (MIRV) bus which can carry the warheads and drop them at seperate targets.
A Russian official also said that the missile is nuclear-capable. Military analysts also say that the missile could be equipped with nuclear payloads.
According to Putin, the missile, which was developed as an experimental hypersonic weapon in 2024, can generate extreme heat and destroy protected targets.
Ukrainian authorities, however, say that the first attack in Dnipro caused relatively limited damage.
Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign policy chief, said that the use of the missile in the recent attack is a political scare tactic. “Moscow reportedly using Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missiles – systems designed to carry nuclear warheads – is a political scare tactic and reckless nuclear brinkmanship,” Kallas said.
French President Emmanuel Macron and German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul also both condemned the attack, calling for another escalation.
UK Foreign Secretary, Yvette Cooper, called the scenes in Kyiv “awful”
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Telegram, “They are genuinely deranged.” He confirmed that Russia used the missile against the city of Bila Tserkva in the Kyiv region.
This would be the third time the Oreshnik missile has been used in the conflict.
Out of the total attacks, 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. They also confirmed that there were 16 direct missile and 51 drone hits in 54 locations.
The Chornobyl museum in Kyiv was reportedly destroyed, according to the Ukrainian president.