Ukrainian authorities have warned of preparations by Russia to stage a strike on Ukraine that could employ the hypersonic Oreshnik ballistic missile, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday, citing intelligence shared by Ukrainian, U.S. and European services.
The announcement arrived one day after President Vladimir Putin instructed the Russian military to develop response options to what Moscow described as a drone attack on a student dormitory in the Russian-controlled Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine. Ukraine's military has denied responsibility for that incident.
In an online post, Zelenskiy said security services were observing indicators of a coordinated assault on Ukrainian territory, including the capital. He wrote:
"We are seeing signs of preparation for a combined strike on Ukrainian territory, including Kyiv, involving various types of weaponry. The specified intermediate-range weapons could be used in such a strike,"
The Oreshnik has been used by Moscow against Ukraine on two prior occasions, according to the available reports. Russian officials said the missile was first launched at what they described as a military factory in Ukraine in November 2024. Ukrainian sources at the time reported the missile carried dummy warheads rather than explosives and that damage was limited.
The missile was used again in January 2026, when an Oreshnik struck the Lviv region in western Ukraine. President Putin has publicly touted the missile's speed, saying it is impossible to intercept, citing a reported velocity of more than 10 times the speed of sound.
Zelenskiy also highlighted the broader international implications of potential use of such weapons. He said Kyiv was alerting partners in the United States and Europe that employment of weapons like the Oreshnik - and a prolonged conflict - could establish a global precedent for other potential aggressors.
"We are drawing the attention of our partners in the United States and in Europe to the fact that the use of such weapons and the prolongation of this war also sets a global precedent for other potential aggressors,"
Leaders of Britain, France and Germany in January described Russia's earlier use of an Oreshnik in western Ukraine as "escalatory and unacceptable".
Zelenskiy said Kyiv expects a response from the international community and stressed that the response should be preventive rather than retrospective. He called for pressure on Moscow to prevent expansion of the war, saying:
"[Kyiv] counts on a response from the world and on a response that is not post factum, but preventive."
Beyond the immediate security alert, Zelenskiy framed the situation as one that warrants urgent attention from international partners to dissuade further escalation. Specific measures sought by Kyiv were not detailed in the public statements cited.