Ukraine has leveled accusations against Vladimir Putin for committing another ‘war crime’ following Russia’s launch of a powerful new hypersonic weapon in recent overnight attacks.
During the assaults, at least four individuals lost their lives in a series of Russian strikes on Kyiv, with additional strikes hitting civilian areas in the Lviv region near the Polish border.
Today, Ukraine’s SBU security service unveiled images of the nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile discovered amidst the wreckage in Lviv. The SBU confirmed that it is treating the weapon’s use as a war crime.
Among the fragments presented by Ukrainian investigators are components identified as the missile’s “brains,” including the stabilisation and guidance block.
The SBU reported that the recovered parts consist of the flight control and targeting unit, engine components, and sections of the orientation mechanism and nozzles from the deployment platform.
Preliminary examinations indicate that the missile was launched from Russia’s Kapustin Yar test site situated approximately 900 miles away.
All the items have been designated as evidence and will be passed for thorough forensic analysis, potentially yielding crucial intelligence on the highly-touted Russian Oreshnik.
Ukrainian investigators revealed that the missile was deployed against civilian infrastructure rather than military targets at a time of extreme vulnerability, with Ukraine grappling with severe cold weather conditions.
Reports suggested that Europe’s largest gas storage facility was a target of the attack, coinciding with temperatures plummeting to -12°C overnight.
The SBU claimed that the Kremlin’s objective was to incapacitate vital civilian infrastructure near the EU border amid adverse weather conditions.
A war crimes case under Article 438 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code has been initiated by investigators, focusing on violations of the laws and customs of war.
The Oreshnik missile, heavily promoted by Moscow as an advanced strategic weapon capable of carrying nuclear warheads, is said to possess limited battlefield utility according to analysts.
Previous instances have seen Russia launching Oreshnik missiles without explosive warheads, using them as tools of terror to instill fear rather than cause extensive destruction.
While the SBU refrained from confirming if the missile was armed with a full warhead, they stated that the retrieved fragments suggest a medium-range ballistic strike.
The location of the strike in the Lviv region, near NATO and EU territories, has raised concerns among Ukrainian officials.
Security sources indicated that the attack was orchestrated to send a political message rather than achieve a military breakthrough. One Ukrainian official privately remarked, “This was not about the front line; it was about fear.”
The SBU announced efforts to identify all individuals involved in planning and executing the strike to hold them accountable under criminal law.
In a recent development, a spokesperson from Number 10 disclosed that Prime Minister Keir Starmer had discussions with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron regarding Ukraine, Greenland, and Iran.
The leaders reflected on their recent meeting in Paris as part of the Coalition of the Willing and expressed satisfaction with the close coordination with the US to secure a peace agreement for Ukraine, as per a statement from Downing Street.
The spokeswoman added, “Russia’s continued assaults in Ukraine, including the use of an Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile in western Ukraine, were deemed provocative and unacceptable by the leaders.”
