The Russian military said it had fired its hypersonic Oreshnik missile at a target in Ukraine in response to what it described as an attempted Ukrainian drone strike on one of President Vladimir Putin's residences, something Kyiv has called a lie.

Russia’s Defense Ministry announced it carried out a precision strike last week using its hypersonic Oreshnik missile, claiming the attack disabled a major Ukrainian aviation repair and drone production facility in the Lviv region.

Russia’s nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile system has entered active service, Russia’s Ministry of Defense says, as negotiators continue to search for a breakthrough in peace talks to end Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that the Russian Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile system also poses a threat to Warsaw, Bucharest, Budapest and many other capitals.

Russia’s claim that it has fired a new Oreshnik hypersonic missile in combat, and tested a nuclear-capable variant, marks a sharp escalation in the technological arms race unfolding along NATO’s eastern flank.

Explosive maritime and military tensions escalate as Russia’s Dmitry Medvedev demands forceful retaliation against the United States over tanker seizures, dismissing UNCLOS constraints and accusing Washington of selective international law enforcement.