Russia’s Oreshnik Strike Was a Test Run, Putin Admits
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia used the Oreshnik missile in strikes on both central Ukraine and Russian-occupied Donbas as part of what he described as missile testing rather than combat use.
Speaking at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin acknowledged that the Oreshnik missile was used not only in a strike near Kyiv but also in an attack on Russian-occupied territory in Ukraine’s Donetsk region. His remarks were cited by RIA Novosti.
According to Putin, both strikes were carried out to evaluate the missile’s performance. He claimed that the Oreshnik has not been used in actual combat against Ukrainian targets.
“We struck places where it was convenient to assess the results. That applies both to Bila Tserkva and, even more so, to the area of the so-called ‘Donetsk People’s Republic’ within the main fortified zone. Afterward, our drones flew in – to the shed that had been hit – and simply examined how the warheads had landed, measuring everything down to the millimeter,” Putin said.
He also suggested that Oreshnik missile strikes could be used against urban areas in the future.
The remarks add to the record of Russia’s use of the Oreshnik missile during the full-scale war against Ukraine. The weapon was previously used in a strike on Dnipro in November 2024 and again in the Lviv region in January 2026.
On May 24, Russian forces struck Bila Tserkva with an Oreshnik missile. According to local residents, six submunitions hit a garage cooperative and the surrounding area, destroying eight garages. Another six submunitions landed on the grounds of a nearby abandoned factory.
One of the submunitions hit the side of a road, leaving a crater about two meters wide and 60 centimeters deep.
OSINT researchers said that two missiles were launched during the attack. One reportedly landed in Russian-occupied territory in the Donetsk region. A monitoring channel said the second missile struck a temporarily occupied area near either Avdiivka or Yasynuvata, on the outskirts of Donetsk.
Putin’s statement appears to confirm earlier assessments that one of the missiles launched in the May 24 attack did not strike government-controlled Ukrainian territory, but instead landed in occupied Donbas as part of what he described as a test.
The admission is notable because it frames strikes in both central Ukraine and occupied Ukrainian territory as controlled trial launches used to study the missile’s impact and precision. It also raises fresh concerns after Putin openly suggested that similar strikes could eventually be directed at built-up urban areas.
