Russia Fires Nuclear-Capable Oreshnik in Mass Strike on Ukraine, Killing Four in Kyiv

Overview

• Ukraine said Russia combined 36 missiles, including an Oreshnik launched from Kapustin Yar, with 242 attack drones in an overnight barrage that damaged 20 residential buildings and the Qatari embassy in Kyiv.
• Authorities reported at least four dead and more than 20 injured in the capital, with widespread hits on energy facilities that cut power, heat and water in multiple regions during freezing weather.
• Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia experienced major outages, with repair crews working to restore services to more than one million customers in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
• Moscow said it struck a drone plant and energy sites and framed the operation as retaliation for a Ukrainian drone attempt on a presidential residence, a claim rejected by Kyiv and questioned by the United States.
• Western leaders condemned the use of the Oreshnik as an escalation, while Kyiv called for urgent action, including stronger air defenses and tougher sanctions, as the strike area in Lviv region lay close to NATO-member Poland.