What Is the Oreshnik Ballistic Missile Russia Used in a Strike on Ukraine?

New York Times - WorldCenter-LeftEN 4 min read 100% complete by Cassandra Vinograd and Lara JakesJanuary 9, 2026 at 03:44 PM

Read Original Article

AI Summary

long article 4 min

In January 2026, Russia launched an Oreshnik missile, a nuclear-capable intermediate-range ballistic weapon, at western Ukraine, marking its second known use. Russia claimed the strike targeted drone-making and energy infrastructure, with no reported casualties. The Oreshnik, promoted by Putin as a display of Russian technological advancement, is believed by the Pentagon to be a modified version of the RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile. The missile carries multiple warheads that separate in flight. Its first use was in November 2024, targeting a military facility in Dnipro, Ukraine, in response to Ukraine's use of Western weapons. This latest strike, near the Polish border, serves as a reminder of Russia's missile range amid heightened tensions over Ukraine peace talks.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

International Institute for Strategic Studies 30% Pentagon 30% Dnipro ×240% RS-26 Rubezh 40% Poland 50% NATO 50% Kyiv 60% Vladimir V. Putin ×270% Russia ×780% Ukraine ×680% Oreshnik ×690%

Keywords

oreshnik missile 100% ballistic missile 80% russia 70% ukraine 70% nuclear-capable weapon 60% military strike 50% intermediate-range 50% warheads 40% nato 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.30

Source Transparency

Source

New York Times - World

Political Lean

Center-Left (-0.30)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

Russia

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

Topic Connections

Explore how the topics in this article connect to other news stories

No topic relationship data available yet. This graph will appear once topic relationships have been computed.

oreshnik missile ballistic missile russia ukraine nuclear-capable weapon military strike intermediate-range warheads nato

Explore Full Topic Graph