Russia May Launch Oreshnik Missile at Ukraine on Friday, Air Force Warns

Ukraine’s Air Force warned on Friday that Russia could launch a medium-range ballistic missile from the Kapustin Yar test range, urging civilians to heed air raid alerts and seek shelter when sirens sound.

“There is a high probability that the enemy may use a medium-range ballistic missile launched from the Kapustin Yar test range during the day,” the Air Force said in a Telegram statement.

Military journalist Andriy Tsaplienko reported separately that Russia is conducting four-hour drills involving Oreshnik missile launches. The exercises are believed to involve training launches, though he urged the public to remain vigilant.

The warning comes weeks after Russia unleashed one of its largest aerial assaults of the war. During the overnight attack on May 24, Russian forces launched 600 drones and 90 missiles, including two Oreshnik ballistic missiles, according to Ukrainian officials.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said one Oreshnik missile struck near Bila Tserkva, south of Kyiv, while the second landed in Russian-occupied territory in the Donetsk region.

Russian President Vladimir Putin later claimed the strike near Bila Tserkva targeted a “shed” and was intended to observe “how the blocks fall,” saying the site had been chosen because it was convenient for evaluating the results.

Russian state media has portrayed the Oreshnik as a game-changing weapon capable of inflicting massive damage and penetrating deeply buried targets. However, independent assessments have cast doubt on those claims.

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‘Oreshnik’ Use Backfires On Putin By Exposing Russian Missile Tech – US Lawmaker

A US lawmaker said Russia’s use of the “Oreshnik” missile in Ukraine may backfire by giving Kyiv and Western analysts access to debris that reveals its capabilities. Jim Himes said the strikes fail to intimidate Ukrainians and instead provide intelligence gains, while questions persist over the missile’s composition and effectiveness.

Ukraine’s military intelligence previously said Moscow may have begun limited serial production of the missile, although the number of Oreshniks currently available to Russian forces is believed to be small.