Global & US Headlines
Russia Unleashes Oreshnik Hypersonic Missile in Second-Ever Combat Use Against Western Ukraine
On 9 Jan 2026, Moscow fired a single Mach-10 Oreshnik ballistic missile from Kapustin Yar at Lviv Oblast during a 242-drone, 36-missile night barrage—the weapon’s first appearance in 14 months and the closest strike yet to NATO territory.
Focusing Facts
- Ukraine’s Air Force counted 242 drones, 22 cruise missiles, 13 other ballistic missiles, and one Oreshnik in the attack that killed 4 and injured at least 25 in Kyiv.
- The Oreshnik launched from Russia’s Kapustin Yar range and impacted an infrastructure site roughly 70 km from Poland, a NATO member.
- Prior to this raid, the Oreshnik’s only known combat use was on 27 Nov 2024 against Dnipro.
Context
Moscow’s choice echoes the Soviet Union’s 1944 debut of the V-2 against London and Nazi Germany’s 1962 display of the R-14 during the Cuban Missile Crisis—moments when new reach-extending missiles were brandished to stiff-arm adversaries rather than win battles outright. The strike fits a 30-year trend of great powers using limited numbers of exotic weapons (Tomahawk in 1991, Kinzhal in 2022) as political theater: it signals resolve, tests Western reaction times, and fuels the hypersonic arms race now engaging the U.S., China, and Russia. Whether or not the missile is truly “unstoppable,” its appearance near the EU border underlines a strategic doctrine of escalate-to-de-escalate and the vulnerability of energy infrastructure that has shaped conflicts from 1940s Blitz to 1999 Kosovo. On a 100-year arc, the event matters less for the four casualties than for normalizing precision hypersonics as routine coercive tools—eroding the taboo around strategic delivery systems and nudging Europe toward deeper missile defenses or riskier deterrence postures.
Perspectives
Western mainstream media
e.g., CNN, Associated Press/WRAL, iNews — They treat Russia’s launch of the Oreshnik hypersonic missile as a dramatic military escalation and a deliberate threat to Ukraine, NATO and European security, labelling it “escalatory and unacceptable.” Coverage stresses civilian suffering and European alarm, which can rally Western public opinion behind tougher sanctions and more military aid while down-playing Moscow’s claim of retaliation.
Russian state-owned media (e.g., TASS) and sympathetic outlets
e.g., Morning Star — The strike is portrayed as a legitimate, successful response to a Ukrainian drone attempt on Putin’s residence, with emphasis that no existing air-defence system can intercept the Mach-10 Oreshnik. Messaging echoes official Kremlin talking points, minimises civilian casualties and amplifies the weapon’s invincibility to bolster domestic morale and intimidate Western audiences.
Right-leaning/anti-establishment alternative media
e.g., Zero Hedge — Frames the missile launch chiefly as retaliation for an alleged Ukrainian ‘terror attack’ on Putin and highlights Washington’s wavering narrative, implicitly questioning Kyiv’s credibility. Selectively foregrounds unverified Russian claims and U.S. intelligence flip-flops to nurture distrust in mainstream accounts and U.S. foreign policy, often aligning with Kremlin narratives.