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Putin Claims Oreshnik Strike on Kyiv Region and Occupied Donetsk Was “For Testing Purposes”
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Russian leader Vladimir Putin has said that Russia carried out strikes using the “Oreshnik” missile system not only near Kyiv but also in the Russian-occupied part of Donetsk region.
According to statements made during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, as reported by RIA Novosti, Putin said both strikes were conducted “for testing purposes.”
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He claimed that the system has not been used in actual combat operations against targets in Ukraine.
“We struck where it was convenient to observe the results. This applies to Bila Tserkva and, even more so, to the area of the ‘DPR’ within the main fortified zone. Later, our drones flew in—into the structure that was hit—and we simply examined how the warheads were arranged and calculated everything down to the millimeter,” Putin said.
The statement comes amid ongoing accounts of Russia’s reported use of the “Oreshnik” missile system in recent attacks.
Russia launched two “Oreshnik” missiles at Ukraine overnight on May 24, according to a letter from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed to Donald Trump and the US Congress.
The letter states that one missile struck an area in Kyiv region, while the second hit territory in temporarily occupied Donetsk region.
Monitoring channels initially reported possible “Oreshnik” launches around 01:00 local time during Russia’s large-scale overnight attack on May 24.
However, at the time, no confirmed impact sites were identified, leading to speculation among some observers that one of the missiles may not have reached its intended target.
In addition, in 2026 the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) reported that it had identified the site where fragments of a Russian ballistic missile landed in the Lviv region following the overnight strike on January 8–9.
In a statement issued on January 9, the SBU said preliminary analysis indicates that the debris likely belongs to the medium-range “Oreshnik” missile system.
Among the recovered parts are the stabilization and guidance module—described as the missile’s control “brain”—as well as sections of the engine compartment, fragments of the orientation system, and nozzles from the separation stage, among other components.
What is “Oreshnik”
In general terms, the “Oreshnik” is an intermediate-range ballistic missile with nuclear capability that travels through the stratosphere, making it extremely difficult to intercept.
It is equipped with a multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) system, meaning a single missile can carry several warheads that separate in flight to strike different targets, though they are not independently guided after release.
Following launch, the missile discards its propulsion stage, after which the MIRV section detaches and the individual warheads continue on a descending trajectory toward their targets.
The system is widely assessed as a derivative of the RS-26 “Rubezh” missile, incorporating Soviet-era technologies developed in Dnipro, which has contributed to confusion over its classification. Unlike the original RS-26 configuration, the system is believed to use a two-stage rather than a three-stage design.
On May 24, Russian forces conducted one of the largest combined aerial assaults of the war, launching a total of 690 airborne weapons against Ukraine, including 90 missiles and 600 drones.
The main target of the attack was Kyiv. As a result, two people were killed and at least 77 were injured, including two children. Thirty-one of the wounded were hospitalized, with three reported in serious condition, while 46 others received on-site treatment or outpatient care.
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