The Russian defence ministry launched an Oreshnik hypersonic missile at a target in western Ukraine during major overnight strikes. John Healey, the UK defence secretary, had meetings with Volodymyr Zelenskyy after the attacks.
Friday 9 January 2026 16:04, UK
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It’s been a busy day of updates after Russia fired a hypersonic Oreshnik missile at Ukraine’s western Lviv region.
The defence ministry said the strike was a response to an attempted Ukrainian drone attack on one of Vladimir Putin’s residences at the end of last year.
Kyiv said Moscow’s claims that it tried to attack the residence, in the Russian region of Novgorod, are “a lie.”
Ukraine’s foreign minister said the strike close to the EU and NATO border is a “grave threat to the security on the European continent and a test for the transatlantic community”.
Watch: Oreshnik missile is an ‘unpredictable beast’
Elsewhere, at least four people were killed and 22 are injured in Kyiv after 36 missiles and more than 240 drones were fired from Russia overnight.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a building of the Qatari embassy was also damaged by a Russian drone.
In response, Qatar expressed its regret and confirmed no injuries have been recorded.
Zelenskyy has also been meeting UK Defence Secretary John Healey in Kyiv today, with talks taking place over how a British contingent could be deployed to operate alongside French forces “if diplomacy works to end the war”.
Healey told reporters that Russia’s attack was “brutal” and “cynical” and urged Donald Trump to bring both sides together to “talk about the future of peace”.
John Healey has been speaking to reporters during his visit to Kyiv.
He said Vladimir Putin was “stepping up, escalating his attacks” not just on the Ukrainian military but also civilians and cities.
“It’s brutal, it’s cynical, it’s exactly why we’ve got to work so hard to help Ukraine secure a peace,” he said.
Healey was asked where it leaves the Paris Agreement signed by the UK and France.
The joint declaration pledges to deploy troops to Ukraine in the event of a peace deal, to guarantee the nation’s security.
“The declaration in Paris was an important agreement that signalled the commitment led by France and the UK, of European nations, ready to secure the peace for the long term security guarantees alongside discussions and similar plans from America,” he said.
“Together, those form a very important part of potential peace negotiations, and it’s now down to President Trump in the way that only President Trump can to help bring those parties together and make Putin come to the negotiating table and talk seriously about the future and the future of peace.”
UK Defence Secretary John Healey has held meetings with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Ukraine today.
In a post on social media, Zelenskyy said he briefed Healey on Russia overnight strike on civilians and energy infrastructure.
“Moscow is trying to use cold weather as a tool of terror, which is why work on additional air defence capabilities for Ukraine is now an urgent priority,” he said.
“We know which partners have the relevant missiles and equipment, and I am sincerely grateful to the United Kingdom for its readiness to help.”
Zelenskyy added that discussions were held over how a British contingent could be deployed to operate alongside French forces “if diplomacy works to end the war”.
“It is crucial that the framework for ending the war includes a clear response from the allies should Russian aggression be repeated,” he said.
Data from last night shows there was major disruption to internet connectivity in Belgorod in western Russia.
According to Netblocks, it came after Ukrainian forces targeted the region’s energy installations with missiles.
In a post on social media, it described it as “one of the most effective infrastructure strikes by Ukraine since the start of the war”.
We can bring you some more detail on Russia launching an Oreshnik ballistic missile at Ukraine overnight.
A senior Ukrainian official has said it struck the workshop of a state enterprise in Lviv.
There were “minor penetrations of concrete structures” and craters have been left in the enterprise’s forest area, the official added.
Background radiation levels remain normal.
It comes after Reuters reported that the missiles used in Lviv were likely equipped with “dummy” warheads (se 12.10 post).
Here’s some of the latest footage from Ukraine after Russia’s overnight hypersonic missile attack.
A reminder, Ukraine has said Russia launched more than 200 drones and 13 ballistic missiles.
At least four people were killed in the attack.
Qatar’s foreign ministry has responded after Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the country’s embassy in Kyiv was damaged in overnight Russian strikes (see 8.33 post).
The ministry said it regretted the damage sustained and confirmed no injuries have been recorded.
Earlier, Zelenskyy praised Qatar as a “state that does so much to mediate with Russia” after announcing the strike.
The Ukrainian president also called for a “clear reaction” from the world after the attack.
Sir Keir Starmer has held a call with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to discuss Ukraine.
A Downing Street spokesperson said the leaders agreed Russia’s use of an Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile in Western Ukraine was “escalatory and unacceptable”.
Starmer said it was clear Russia was “using fabricated allegations to justify the attack” after Moscow said it came in retaliation for a drone attack launched by Ukraine against one of Vladimir Putin’s residences.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called those accusations “lies” and Donald Trump said US checks had indicated that the residence was not targeted.
The prime minister also told the other leads that the NATO alliance must step up in the region to “deter adversaries such as Russia”.
Ukraine’s allies have condemned Russia’s hypersonic missile attack on Ukraine overnight.
A German government spokesman accused Moscow of “continuing to escalate the situation without provocation”, adding that Russia’s justification for the attack had been refuted.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warned that “Putin doesn’t want peace” and Romania’s foreign minister spoke with her Ukrainian counterpart this morning as well.
Ukraine’s internal security service has recovered fragments of some of the hypersonic missiles used to attack the country overnight.
In Lviv, the SBU says it found parts of the Oreshnik missiles, including:
In a new statement on Telegram, the SBU says the missiles :
“Investigators classify the use of this weapon against Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure as a war crime committed by Russia. Preliminary data indicates that the enemy launched the medium‑range, ground‑to‑ground Oreshnik missile from the Russian test range ‘Kapustin Yar’ [near Volgograd].”
It has also emerged that the missiles used in Lviv were likely equipped with inert “dummy” warheads, Reuters reports.
They did not cause significant damage in Ukraine’s west, it adds, citing a senior Ukrainian official.
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