Launch of a Russian Orechnik missile in Ukraine: “An unacceptable escalation”, for Macron, Merz and Starmer

The firing of a latest generation Orechnik missile by Russia in Ukraine during the night from Thursday to Friday represents “an escalation”. This is the position adopted by the German, British and French leaders during a telephone call during the day.

Moscow’s “continued” attacks, “including the use of an Orechnik intermediate-range ballistic missile in western Ukraine”, represent “an escalation and are unacceptable”, agreed French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer during this call, according to a spokesperson for Downing Street, the seat of government of the United Kingdom.

The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) has confirmed that Russia struck the Lviv region (West) with an Orechnik capable of carrying conventional or nuclear charges. Russia said it launched the hypersonic ballistic missile against its neighbor for the second time since its invasion of Ukraine began four years ago, but did not specify its target. Lviv borders Poland, a member country of the European Union and NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization).

“By targeting civilian infrastructure in our country, near the border with the European Union, the Kremlin (Editor’s note: the seat of the Russian presidency) attempted to destroy vital systems in the region,” the SBU added.

A gas storage site possibly targeted

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Russian Defense Ministry previously said an Orechnik missile had been launched without specifying the targeted area. The authorities in Lviv, for their part, had simply reported a ballistic missile attack.

The mayor of Lviv, Andriï Sadovy, declared in the morning that a ballistic missile flying at 13,000 km/h had been fired at the region. Russian military bloggers claimed that a major gas storage site in the Lviv region had been targeted.