Russia fires Oreshnik hypersonic missile at Ukraine's Lviv region

(File photo/AP)

Russia's Defense Ministry on Friday said it has used the new Oreshnik ballistic missile in the latest strike on Ukraine, according to an AP report.

The Russian attack struck an infrastructure target in western Ukraine's Lviv region, officials in the region said early on Friday.

However, Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi and regional governor Maksym Kozytskyi, writing on Telegram, said little about the strike and made no comment on suggestions that a Russian hypersonic Oreshnik might have been fired, Reuters reported.

Kozytskyi said experts were examining the area where the strike occurred.

Ukrainian media quoted the West command of the Ukrainian Air Force as saying a ballistic missile had been used and had been travelling at a speed of nearly 13,000 km per hour (8,000 mph).

Russia fired an Oreshnik missile against the Ukrainian city of Dnipro for the first time in November 2024.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the Oreshnik's destructive power is comparable to that of a nuclear weapon, even when fitted with a conventional warhead.