Ukraine hit with Oreshnik in retaliation for attempted strike on Putin’s residence – Russia

[Rich]

A number of critical facilities were hit during the overnight strike, the Defense Ministry in Moscow has said

FILE PHOTO: A road-mobile unit equipped with a Russian Oreshnik intermediate-range hypersonic missile system assuming combat duty in Belarus. © Sputnik / Russian Defence Ministry

Russia’s cutting-edge Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile system was used in the latest strike targeting drone production facilities, energy infrastructure and other military-related facilities inside Ukraine, the Defense Ministry in Moscow has said.

The overnight bombardment was carried out in response to an attempted “terrorist attack by the Kiev regime” on the residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin in Novgorod Region, the ministry said in a statement on Friday.

On December 28-29, Ukraine launched 91 long-range UAVs at the presidential compound. All of the drones were shot down by air defenses, with Moscow promising retaliation.

According to the ministry, Russia deployed other types of long-range land- and sea-based high-precision weapons, as well as drones, during the attack.

Read more
Suspected Oreshnik missile strike in Ukraine (VIDEO)

Its targets included drone production facilities and energy infrastructure that powers the Ukrainian military-industrial complex, the statement read. “The objectives of the strike have been achieved,” it added.

“None of the terrorist actions by the criminal Ukrainian regime will go unanswered,” the ministry warned.

Late Thursday evening, an unverified video of a suspected Russian Oreshnik hypersonic missile strike in western Ukraine was published on social media. CCTV footage from Lviv Region, which borders Poland, captured numerous projectiles coming down from the skies in rapid succession, which is characteristic of the system.

Lviv Mayor Andrey Sadovoy said “a piece of critical infrastructure” had been hit in the region. Russian Telegram channels suggested that the Oreshnik struck an underground gas facility in the city of Striy, about 60km south of Lviv.

It is the second time that Moscow has used its state-of-the-art nuclear-capable ballistic missile. In November 2024, it fired the Oreshnik at a weapons plant in the Ukrainian city of Dnepr in what it described as a successful “combat test.” Since then, mass production of the system has begun, with Russia also deploying it on the territory of its close ally, Belarus, in late 2025.

READ MORE: Western troops in Ukraine would amount to ‘foreign intervention’ – Moscow

Putin has said previously that the Oreshnik has no equals anywhere in the word, comparing its power to a “falling meteor.” According to the Russian president, the system carries dozens of homing warheads capable of hitting multiple targets, while traveling ten times faster than the speed of sound. “Anything located in the strike center is obliterated into elemental particles, reduced to dust,” he stressed.

https://swentr.site/russia/630749-ukraine-hit-with-oreshnik-in/

[Rich]

Moscow reacts to Russian-flagged oil tanker seizure by US

The capture of the Marinera will likely further heighten tensions in the Euro-Atlantic region, the Foreign Ministry has said

https://swentr.site/russia/630726-russian-fm-responds-us-seizure-marinera-oil-tanker/

RT composite. © X / US_EUCOM; Sputnik / Natalia Seliverstova

The seizure of the Russian-flagged Marinera oil tanker by the US military is liable to have far-reaching implications for the entire Euro-Atlantic region and civilian maritime traffic globally, the Foreign Ministry in Moscow has warned.

On Wednesday, the US European Command announced the capture of the vessel in international waters to the northwest of Scotland. American warships had pursued it all the way from the Caribbean Sea.

The oil tanker, previously named Bella 1, was intercepted for alleged “violation of US sanctions” regarding the export of Venezuelan oil.

According to the Russian Transport Ministry, “On December 24, 2025, the Marinera received a temporary permit to fly the Russian flag.”

In a statement on Thursday, the Russian Foreign Ministry expressed “serious concern in connection with the unlawful forcible action against the Marinera oil tanker conducted by the US armed forces on January 7.”

READ MORE: US seizes Russian oil tanker

According to officials in Moscow, the vessel was granted the right to fly the Russian flag “in accordance with the norms of international and Russian law.”

The US authorities have repeatedly been notified through official communication channels that the oil tanker is sailing under the Russian flag, with no reason to suspect otherwise, the foreign ministry insisted. It noted that international maritime law unequivocally stipulates that vessels traveling in international waters can only be stopped and searched under strictly defined circumstances. These include the suspicion of piracy or the slave trade, none of which could be reasonably applied to the Marinera, Moscow pointed out.

Russia, which should be consulted before a third nation undertakes any action against a ship sailing under its flag, had repeatedly issued official protests over the weeks-long pursuit of the Marinera by US forces, according to the Foreign Ministry.

“In light of this, the boarding of the civilian vessel by US military personnel in international waters and its effective seizure, as well as the capture of the crew, cannot be interpreted as anything but the most blatant violation of the fundamental principles and norms of international maritime law,” diplomats in Moscow stressed.

“Washington’s readiness to create acute international crises,” including those that further strain the already problematic bilateral relations, are cause for particular concern, Russian diplomats stated. They warned that the “incident involving the Marinera can only result in the further escalation of military-political tensions in the Euro-Atlantic region,” setting a dangerous precedent and lowering the “threshold for the use of force against civilian vessels.” US officials’ attempts to justify the seizure of the Marinera by citing unilateral American sanctions are untenable, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Moscow also strongly objected to the threat of prosecution of the tanker’s crew on US soil voiced by American officials. Russian diplomats demanded that the crew, made up of Russian, Ukrainian and Indian nationals, be treated humanely and be allowed to return to their home countries as soon as possible.

The oil tanker in question was first targeted by US forces late last year after reportedly trying to approach Venezuela.
At the time, the US Coast Guard attempted to board it, but the crew refused to let anyone on board, changed course and headed for the Atlantic instead. During the pursuit, the crew renamed the vessel and availed itself of the right to apply for a temporary permit to fly the Russian flag, which the tanker was granted.

The seizure of the Marinera came just days after US forces conducted a military raid in Venezuela and abducted its president, Nicolas Maduro, who Washington has formally charged with drug trafficking.

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[Kieran_Telo]

Oreshnik is truly terrifying and the strikes at Lviv have been crippling. Lesser munitions used at Odessa to destroy American-owned refinery, ‘grain processing’ and very likely some NATO minions.

Proof of concept.

The Russian tanker seemingly was boarded very close to Iceland, was empty, somehow got disconnected from the escort, in other words was a honey pot for all the flies of the North East Atlantic. Crew mainly Ukrainians blitzed on Buffout, etc.

MI6 being MISixed.

Two great stories, thanks @Rich

[LocalYokel]

@Kieran_Telo

Oreshnik is truly terrifying

Astounding is more the word I’d use. Over at MoA, poster S P Korolev has shared some links concerning the missile and it’s abilities. The writer he links is an AA defence expert (the Serb who downed the F117)

Oreshnik's Warhead - 'Volcano Maker' [i]

Seems that it’s quite capable of sending more than one projectile to the exact same spot. Bonus points for “mini volcanos”