Russia launches Oreshnik missile strikes on Ukraine in retaliation for residence attack

The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that a comprehensive strike was carried out on Friday night, January 9, targeting critical facilities across Ukraine using long-range, high-precision weaponry launched from land and sea.

The Ministry stated that the operation was conducted in direct retaliation for an attempted strike by the Ukrainian military targeting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s residence in the Novgorod region.

Drone facilities and energy infrastructure targeted

The strike involved the deployment of the Oreshnik medium-range ballistic missile system. Military officials reported that the operation successfully hit energy infrastructure essential to the functioning of the Ukrainian defense industry, as well as several drone production facilities.

The Russian Ministry of Defense emphasized that such “terrorist acts” by Kyiv would not go unanswered in the future. The Ministry’s statement further noted that the strike had achieved all its intended objectives.

Lavrov: 91 drones used in attempted attack

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov previously disclosed that Ukraine attempted a drone strike on Putin’s residence on the night of December 29.

According to Lavrov, 91 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were utilized in the attempted raid, all of which were successfully intercepted and shot down.

The Oreshnik medium-range ballistic missile used by Russia first drew international attention on November 21, 2024. At that time, Putin announced that a military-industrial facility in Dnipro had been struck by an Oreshnik missile equipped with a non-nuclear hypersonic payload.

The following day, Putin stated that Russia maintains a ready stockpile of these missiles and that serial production had been organized. In early November, the official commencement of production was formally declared.

Moscow claims evidence shared with the US

On January 1, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that it had delivered materials to the military attaché at the US Embassy in Moscow. These materials reportedly included the controller and decrypted flight path data from a Ukrainian drone allegedly used in the attempted strike on the Novgorod residence.

Admiral Igor Kostyukov, head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff (GRU), informed US officials that analysis of the navigation systems conducted by Russian intelligence agencies “indisputably confirms” that the residence complex was the intended target.

Zelenskyy denies claims, Trump expresses skepticism

The Wall Street Journal reported that the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has found no evidence to support the claim that an attack on Putin’s residence took place.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also flatly denied the allegations of an attempted strike.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump stated that he does not believe an attack on Putin’s residence actually occurred. Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump remarked, “I don’t believe this attack happened.”

Trump further assessed the situation, saying, “Something happened nearby, but it had nothing to do with this incident.”

The US President had previously mentioned that he learned of the alleged attack on the Novgorod residence directly from Putin.

While the two leaders reportedly held a telephone conversation on December 29, 2025, Trump noted at the time that “now is not the right time for all of this.”