Russia Deploys Oreshnik Missiles and Targets Ukrainian Nuclear Sites

The Federal Government of Russia has escalated its military campaign in Ukraine through the deployment of nuclear-capable Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missiles and targeted drone strikes on nuclear infrastructure. In May 2026, Russia launched an Oreshnik missile that struck Bila Tserkva after allegedly targeting Kyiv. While the missile lacked a nuclear warhead, Vladimir Putin described the strike as a test of the weapon. This follows previous Oreshnik deployments in Dnipro in 2024 and Lviv in early 2026. The Institute for the Study of War assessed that the May 2026 strike may have been a failed launch.

Parallel to these missile strikes, Russian drones targeted the Chernobyl zone in June 2026. The assaults hit the New Safe Confinement structure and the Centralized Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Facility, the latter of which had recently received its operating license. The Security Service of Ukraine identified a Shahed-136 drone configured for maximum damage in the attack on Chernobyl, while the International Atomic Energy Agency reported the compromise of the New Safe Confinement structure without assigning blame.

Russia also conducted massive aerial assaults on Kyiv on July 2 and July 6, 2026, causing at least 58 deaths. These combined actions are characterized as a strategy of nuclear terror designed to create uncertainty rather than traditional deterrence.