Russia uses hypersonic Oreshnik missile in mass attack on Kyiv

24/05/2026

Damaged Chernobyl Museum archives are seen after the museum building was hit during an intensive Russian air attack, in Kyiv, Ukraine, on May 24. (AP)

KYIV, Ukraine, May 24, (AP): Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia used the powerful hypersonic Oreshnik ballistic missile in a mass attack on Kyiv, in a post on Telegram on Sunday. It marks the third time the missile, which is capable of carrying nuclear or conventional warheads, has been used in Ukraine. Russia struck the city of Bila Tserkva in the Kyiv region with the missile, Zelenskyy said.

The target was not immediately clear. Russia first used the multiple-warhead Oreshnik on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro in November 2024. It was used a second time in January in the western Lviv region. President Vladimir Putin said the Oreshnik, which means "hazelnut tree” in Russian, streaks at 10 times the speed of sound, or Mach 10, and is capable of destroying underground bunkers "three, four or more floors down.”