Russia launched a devastating overnight assault on Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, deploying its advanced Oreshnik hypersonic missile in a strike that killed four people and injured dozens. The Kremlin has framed the attack, which involved nearly 300 weapons, as revenge for a purported Ukrainian strike on President Vladimir Putin's residence – a claim vehemently denied by both Kyiv and Washington.
The Attack and Moscow's Justification
In the early hours of 9 January 2026, explosions rocked Kyiv and the western city of Lviv, plunging parts of the capital into darkness and cutting off heating for many civilians. Russia's Ministry of Defence explicitly stated the barrage was "in response to the Kyiv regime’s terrorist attack on the residence of the President of the Russian Federation." They detailed the use of long-range, precision-guided weapons, prominently naming the new Oreshnik medium-range ground-mobile missile system.
This justification has been widely dismissed as hypocritical, given the documented history of Russian attempts to assassinate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Analysts suggest the narrative is largely a distraction from a deeper, more strategic motive behind the attack's timing and symbolism.
A Symbolic Deployment and Broader Tensions
The deployment of the Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile is seen as highly symbolic. While it was not the weapon's first use, its inclusion in this particular strike is significant. The attack occurred against a backdrop of severely strained relations between the Trump administration and the Kremlin, following a diplomatic row over the alleged strike on Putin's home and a tense incident involving the US military boarding a Russian-flagged oil tanker, the Marinera.
Security experts posit that Putin's primary aim is to re-widen the rift between the United States and its NATO allies. By showcasing advanced hypersonic capabilities, Moscow sends a direct message about modern military threats that the alliance struggles to counter collectively.
The Greenland Gambit and NATO's Dilemma
The core of this message, according to defence analysts, may be intimately linked to the long-standing US strategic interest in acquiring Greenland. The Pentagon views the vast island as critical for early warning systems against hypersonic missiles like the Oreshnik. Unlike traditional Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs), hypersonic weapons fly at lower altitudes, are more manoeuvrable, and offer drastically reduced reaction times.
By flaunting the Oreshnik, Putin potentially reminds Donald Trump of the very rationale behind the US desire for Greenland: the urgent need for enhanced detection infrastructure. A US move to seize Greenland, by military or other means, would likely cause a catastrophic fracture within NATO, a scenario the Kremlin is eager to engineer. This places allies like the United Kingdom in an extremely difficult position, caught between transatlantic solidarity and the destabilising potential of such a crisis.
Desperation or Calculation?
The overt use of the Oreshnik in this attack could be interpreted as a sign of desperation from the Russian leader. It suggests a pressing need to sow discord within NATO and isolate the US from its European partners. The weapon served as both a tool of terror against Ukrainian civilians and a geopolitical signal to Washington.
Ultimately, while the immediate horror of the attack is felt in Kyiv, the ripple effects are designed to strain the Western alliance. The Oreshnik's flight path may have terminated in Ukraine, but its intended target appears to be the very cohesion of NATO, exploiting existing tensions over defence strategy and territorial sovereignty.
