Russia Unleashes Massive Strike on Ukraine with New Oreshnik Missile

Russian President Vladimir Putin revealed that Russia deployed 90 missiles and 100 drones in a massive aerial assault on Ukraine overnight on Thursday.

Speaking at the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) summit in Astana, Putin stated that the strikes targeted “military facilities, defence industry facilities, and their support systems.”

“These included military installations, defense industry sites, and their support infrastructure,” President Putin said.

In contrast, Ukrainian officials reported that the attacks primarily targeted energy infrastructure, leaving over one million people without power earlier in the day. Ukraine’s national energy company, Ukrenergo, announced that emergency blackouts had been resolved but warned of potential “four rounds of blackouts” before the day’s end.

President Putin defended the missile barrage as a necessary response to Ukraine’s alleged attacks on Russian territory using American-supplied ATACMS missiles.

“I want to emphasise once again that these strikes were carried out in response to the continued attacks on Russian territory using American ATACMS missiles,” he added. “As I have repeatedly stated, such actions will always elicit a response.”

Putin also highlighted Russia’s missile production capabilities, claiming that the country is manufacturing missile systems and relevant equipment at a rate ten times higher than NATO countries combined. He further threatened to target “decision-making centres in Kyiv” using Russia’s new Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile.

“The (Oreshnik) system deploys dozens of homing warheads that strike the target at a velocity of Mach 10, equivalent to approximately three kilometres per second,” Putin described the missile’s destructive power. “The temperature of the impact elements reaches 4,000 degrees Celsius – nearing the surface temperature of the sun, which is around 5,500–6,000 degrees. Consequently, everything within the explosion’s epicentre is reduced to fractions, elementary particles, essentially turning to dust. The missile is capable of destroying even heavily fortified structures and those located at significant depths.”

Thursday’s overnight attack marks the second large-scale missile strike in recent weeks. On November 17, Russia unleashed a similar assault, reportedly using 120 missiles and 90 drones to target critical infrastructure.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has consistently drawn attention to the devastating impact of these attacks on Ukraine’s energy systems. Last winter, nearly half of the country’s electricity capacity was destroyed, leaving millions in the dark during the freezing months. With winter approaching again, Ukrainian officials are bracing for an uptick in strikes on critical infrastructure, including nuclear power facilities.

In September, Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha warned that Russia might target nuclear power facilities and power networks vital to their operation. Following these claims, global leaders urged restraint, fearing the potential fallout from strikes near nuclear sites.