The Russian military said on ‍Friday (January 9, 2026) that it had fired its hypersonic Oreshnik missile ​at a target in Ukraine as part of ‌what it said was a ​massive overnight strike on energy facilities and drone manufacturing sites there. Kyiv has called the Russian assertion ⁠that it tried to attack the residence, in Russia's Novgorod's region, "a lie." Moscow first fired an Oreshnik — ‍Russian for hazel tree — against what it said was a military factory in Ukraine in November 2024. On that occasion Ukrainian sources said the missile was carrying dummy warheads, not explosives, and caused limited damage. One U.S. official said in December 2024 that the weapon was not seen as ⁠a game-changer on the battlefield.

Source: The Hindu January 09, 2026 10:59 UTC