Russia has launched its Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile at Lviv, Ukraine, claiming the strike is a retaliation for an alleged Ukrainian drone attack on a site associated with President Putin. Ukraine denies the drone strike occurred.
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) has analyzed missile fragments and indicated they belong to the Oreshnik missile system. They are investigating this use of missile strikes against civilian infrastructure as a potential war crime.
The Oreshnik missile is designed to be difficult to intercept and is capable of carrying nuclear warheads, though the missile in this attack did not have a nuclear payload. Lviv, a city close to the Polish border, experienced several explosions around midnight, but there were no specific warnings about incoming threats.
Ukraine’s Air Force described the missile simply as a “medium-range ballistic missile,” fired from the Kapustin Yar test site in Russia. Following the attack, Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council and consultations within NATO and the EU. He emphasized that such strikes near the EU border pose a severe threat to continental security.
Sybiha argues that Russia’s justifications for these attacks are fabricated. He stated that President Putin’s actions reflect dangerous illusions and require a serious global response. He urged the international community to impose tougher sanctions on Russia, particularly targeting its oil revenues.
Russia claims that its strikes targeted energy infrastructure, including gas pipelines in Lviv. Meanwhile, on December 29, Ukrainian President Zelensky dismissed Russia’s initial claims about the drone strike as lies, warning they may set the stage for future attacks on Ukraine.
The CIA later supported the assertion that Ukraine did not attack Putin’s residence, bringing into question Russia’s motives for the missile strikes.
This recent strike marks the second use of the Oreshnik missile against Ukraine, the first being in an attack on Dnipro in November 2024. According to defense expert Fabian Hoffmann from the University of Oslo, the Oreshnik missile is largely based on previous missile designs, notably the RS-26 Rubezh, and may possess outdated components.
In a broader context, these attacks coincide with increased military actions from Russia, including missile barrages against multiple Ukrainian cities amid harsh winter conditions. Reports indicate that these assaults have resulted in civilian casualties, with at least four reported dead and several others injured.
As the conflict continues to escalate, it raises serious questions about the international community’s response to Russia’s actions and the ongoing challenges facing Ukraine in this tense situation.
For more on the implications of these military developments and their significance in global geopolitics, visit reliable sources like CNN or BBC.
