Russia hits Ukraine with Oreshnik ballistic missile for a second timepublished at 12:48 GMT
12:48 GMT
Thomas Spencer
BBC Verify researcher
BBC Verify has been looking into Russian claims that it launched an Oreshnik ballistic missile strike against Ukraine overnight.
We have been unable to geolate the footage because of lack of distinctive details and darkness, but we have been able to confirm that the footage is new.
We showed the CCTV footage that purports to show the missile hitting Ukraine’s Lviv region to numerous experts.
Image source, TelegramImage caption,
CCTV footage of strike in Lviv region
They agreed the video was “visually consistent” with what would be expected from the reported characteristics of the Oreshnik, an upgraded intermediate range ballistic missile thought to be capable of simultaneously launching multiple warheads.
Fabian Hinz, Research Fellow for Missile Technologies at the International Institute for Strategic Studies identified the missile from the “distinctive pattern of submunitions seen glowing as they descend at high speeds”.
However, some of the experts we spoke to disagree on whether the missile was armed with multiple warheads.
Alistair Saddington, Professor of Defence Aeronautics at the University of Cranfield added there were no immediate signs of explosions.
It is only the second time that Moscow has used the Oreshnik, which was first deployed to hit the central city of Dnipro in November 2024. This weapon that is thought to pose a serious challenge to Ukraine’s air defences and is claimed to be capable of carrying nuclear warheads.