Russia may have struck its own forces with one Oreshnik missile near Avdiivka, monitors say
Ukraine's Air Force has no confirmed information that Russia launched two Oreshnik missiles during the night of the massive attack on Ukraine. Monitoring channels have suggested that the missile that struck near the city of Bila Tserkva in Kyiv Oblast was the second launch, while the first may have hit Russian-occupied territory.
Monitoring channel eRadar reported the possibility of two Oreshnik launches. The channel said that around 1 a.m. on May 24, monitoring sources flagged what appeared to be an Oreshnik launch, but no impact on Ukrainian territory was reported at the time, leading eRadar to initially question the information.
The channel now believes the launch did occur and that the missile struck occupied territory near Avdiivka or Yasynuvata — meaning Russian forces may have inadvertently hit their own troops.
A second launch followed, with that missile striking near Bila Tserkva. eRadar suggested this is why Ukraine's Air Force officially reported only one Oreshnik impact on Ukrainian territory.
Ukrainian OSINT community CyberBoroshno confirmed footage that it said likely captured the first Oreshnik launch. Analysts said the video shows the unfinished Rose Park shopping mall in Donetsk, with the camera pointed north or northwest — toward Avdiivka, Kramatorsk, Slovyansk, Izium, Vovchansk, and Russia’s Belgorod. They cautioned, however, that the exact impact site cannot be determined from the footage.
Air Force communications chief Yurii Ihnat told Channel 24 that only one launch is officially confirmed at this time, while not ruling out that additional information could emerge and be formally announced. He said there is also no confirmed information regarding possible Oreshnik strikes on Russian military positions.
Russia fired 90 missiles of various types — including a medium-range ballistic missile identified as an Oreshnik — along with 600 drones during the overnight assault. Air defenses neutralized 55 missiles and 549 drones.
Kyiv was the primary target of the mass strike. In terms of the number of locations damaged, the attack was the largest Russia has carried out since the start of the full-scale invasion. The number of casualties has reached 87, including three children. Two people were killed.
The Oreshnik (Russian: "hazel tree") is a Russian medium-range ballistic missile first publicly disclosed by President Vladimir Putin in November 2024. It is capable of carrying multiple independently targetable warheads and travels at hypersonic speeds, making interception extremely difficult. Ukraine's Air Force has reported previous Oreshnik strikes on Ukrainian territory.