Putin Says Oreshnik Missile Strike on Occupied Donbas Was Test

Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged that Russia used the Oreshnik missile not only in a strike near Kyiv but also in an attack on the Russian-occupied part of Ukraine’s Donetsk region.

Putin made the remarks during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, according to RIA Novosti.

He said that both strikes were conducted as part of missile tests.

Putin claimed that the Oreshnik missile has not actually been used in combat against targets in Ukraine.

“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’ (‘DPR’) 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, in the future, Oreshnik missile strikes could be carried out against areas with urban development.

Since the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, Russian forces have used the Oreshnik missile on two other occasions. In November 2024, it was used in a strike on Dnipro, and in January 2026, in a strike on the Lviv region.

The Russian military struck Bila Tserkva with an Oreshnik missile on May 24.

Six submunitions hit a garage cooperative and the surrounding area, destroying eight garages, according to local residents. Another six submunitions landed on the grounds of a nearby abandoned factory.

One of the submunitions struck the side of a road, creating a crater approximately 2 meters in diameter and 60 centimeters deep.

According to OSINT researchers, two missiles were launched during the attack, one of which landed in the Russian-occupied part of the Donetsk region.

According to the monitoring channel, the second missile struck a temporarily occupied area near either Avdiivka or Yasynuvata, both located in the outskirts of Donetsk.