Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has warned that Russia is preparing to launch a strike against Ukraine using a hypersonic Oreshnik ballistic missile, citing intelligence received from Ukrainian, American, and European sources. The alert was issued on Saturday, a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed his military to develop options for retaliatory measures following a drone strike on a student dormitory in the Russian-controlled Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine. Ukrainian forces have denied involvement in that attack.

In a statement posted on X, Zelenskiy indicated that signs point to preparations for a multi-faceted assault on Ukrainian territory, including the capital, Kyiv, incorporating various weapon types. He specifically mentioned the possible use of intermediate-range weapons, potentially referencing the Oreshnik missile, though he did not explicitly link the warning to the recent drone attack.

This would mark the third potential use of the Oreshnik missile by Russia against Ukraine. Putin has previously touted the missile’s capabilities, highlighting its speed at more than ten times the velocity of sound and its purported invulnerability to interception. The missile was initially launched in November 2024, targeting what Moscow described as a military factory in Ukraine. Ukrainian officials reported that the missile carried dummy warheads and caused minimal damage at the time. A second strike occurred in January 2026, with the missile striking the Lviv region in western Ukraine.

Zelenskiy underscored the broader implications of Russia’s deployment of such weapons, warning that their use prolongs the conflict and could set a dangerous precedent for other potential aggressors worldwide. He emphasized the need for a global response that is preventive rather than reactive, calling on Western partners in the United States and Europe to exert pressure on Moscow to prevent further escalation of the war.

In response to previous missile strikes, the leaders of Britain, France, and Germany described Moscow’s use of hypersonic weapons on Ukrainian soil as “escalatory and unacceptable” in a joint statement issued in January. Zelenskiy reiterated Kyiv’s expectation that the international community act decisively to deter Russia from expanding the conflict further.