What to know about Russia's Oreshnik missile deployed in attack on Kiev region

Moscow says latest strike answers deadly school attack in occupied Luhansk

Last updated: May 25, 2026 | 00:42

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Russian President Vladimir Putin said the Dnipro strike was the first time the experimental missile has been used in combat. The Russian Defence Ministry said the missile was deployed in response to Ukrainian attacks on a school in the Luhansk region on Friday, in which 21 students were killed, and dozens were injured. Ukrainian authorities said the Oreshnik struck the city of Bila Tserkva near Kiev, marking the first time it was used to target the capital region.

(AP: Russian Defence Ministry Press Service)

MOSCOW/KIEV: Russia has used its new intermediate-range Oreshnik ballistic missile to target Ukraine for a third time as it launched major attacks on the Kiev region overnight, Moscow confirmed on Sunday.

The Russian Defence Ministry said the missile was deployed in response to Ukrainian attacks on a school in the Luhansk region on Friday, in which 21 students were killed, and dozens were injured.

The Oreshnik is an advanced Russian intermediate-range, nuclear-capable ballistic missile that travels at hypersonic speeds exceeding Mach 10 (about 12,300 km/h). It features multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs) and has been utilised to strike targets in Ukraine. With velocities of Mach 10 to Mach 11, it creates kinetic force so intense that Russian officials claim it generates temperatures rivaling the surface of the sun. It covers distances between 3,000 and 5,000 km, allowing it to strike targets throughout Europe within minutes. It features multiple non-nuclear, manoeuverable warheads (with potential nuclear payload capability) designed to strike various targets.

Ukrainian authorities said the Oreshnik struck the city of Bila Tserkva near Kiev, marking the first time it was used to target the capital region.

Russian military officials claimed that combined attacks using ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones had struck targets including the Ukrainian defence industry, military infrastructure and command centres.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said it was important that the attack on Bila Tserkva “does not pass without consequences for Russia.”

The Oreshnik missile can carry both conventional and nuclear warheads. It can reach extremely high speeds of up to 12,000 kilometres per hour, with a range of up to 5,000 kilometres.

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