Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) recovered fragments of a Russian ballistic missile used in a strike on the Lviv region late at night on Thursday, Jan. 8, and has classified the attack on civilian infrastructure as a war crime.
Preliminary analysis indicates the missile belonged to the Russian “Oreshnik” system. Among the recovered parts are the stabilization and guidance unit – effectively the missile’s control system – engine components, elements of the orientation mechanism, and nozzles from the deployment platform.
“These fragments are physical evidence and will undergo detailed expert examinations,” the SBU said in a Telegram post.
Investigators say the missile was launched from Russia’s Kapustin Yar test site and struck civilian infrastructure near Ukraine’s border with the European Union, amid severe winter weather.
Russia has confirmed it used an Oreshnik medium-range ballistic missile in the overnight strike, claiming it was retaliation for a so-called “terrorist attack” on the residence of Russian autocrat Vladimir Putin in Russia’s Novgorod region in late December.
In a statement, the Russian Ministry of Defense said the launch was part of a “massive strike” using long-range weapons and drones.
Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovy said a ballistic missile flying at about 13,000 kilometers per hour struck the region, triggering a fire at a critical infrastructure facility. He said no residential buildings were damaged.
Russian military bloggers claimed a gas storage site was targeted, but Ukrainian officials denied damage to gas infrastructure.
President Volodymyr Zelensky later also confirmed that Russia used one Oreshnik missile in the attack.
SBU investigators say the use of this weapon against civilian targets constitutes a war crime under Article 438 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code. The investigation is being carried out under the supervision of the Office of the Prosecutor General.