Putin Recognizes Donbass Republics, Sends Russian Military to 'Denazify' Ukraine

[Gawan]

I suppose that's an added bonus, but I'd say this was planned before the tanker business. It may also have been a test of the Oreshnik's ability to penetrate deep enough to compromise the gas storage facility in the rock layers., not directly (I don't think it can penetrate that deep - 800m) but via possible knock-on tectonic effects.

That was also my first thought, that the attacks were planned beforehand.

Klitschko advices some residents of Kiev to leave the city when they can since about 6.000 apartment buildings are without power, mainly heating.

Unfortunately, I don't have a better source, since RT English gets blocked:

https://unn.ua/en/amp/the-most-painful-russian-attack-with-half-of-high-rise-buildings-without-heating-power-and-water-outages-klitschko-advised-kyiv-residents-to-leave-the-city-if-possible

The Russian attack last night was the "most painful" for Kyiv's critical infrastructure, half of the high-rise buildings are without heat, there are interruptions in water supply, electricity has not yet been restored, Kyiv residents, if possible, are urged to temporarily leave the city, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported on Telegram, writes UNN.

Details​

According to Klitschko, "half of Kyiv's apartment buildings - almost 6,000 - are currently without heat supply due to critical infrastructure damaged by the enemy's massive attack on the capital." Also, according to him, "there are interruptions in water supply in the city." "Utility workers have powered social institutions - in particular, hospitals and maternity hospitals, from mobile boiler houses. And together with energy workers, they are working to restore electricity and heat supply to Kyiv residents' homes," Klitschko said.

According to him, the capital is doing "everything to do it as quickly as possible."

And now of course Ukraine wants an immediate UN security council meeting.

 

[Ben]

As the Oreshnik was used for only the second time, it was a clear message to the West, especially the Coalition of the Willing. It's also an opportunity to test the capabilities of the system and train personnel.

From Scott Ritter

https://twitter.com/x/status/2009600624300581175

It was interesting that Russia opted to fire the Oreshnik from the Kaputin Yar missile test facility. Russia and Belarus recently announced that an Oreshnik-equipped brigade was put on combat duty at a base in Belarus. But the attack did not originate from this unit.

Russia has indicated that it is fielding additional Oreshnik-equipped brigades. Kapustin Yar is a location where the combat equipment of the Oreshnik missile system is married with the personnel operating it for the final training and technical preparation necessary before a unit can be deemed combat ready. The recent Oreshnik launch on Lvov may have been an operational training event repurposed for the purpose of sending a message to the west.

This was not a launch from a strategic asset that has been placed on combat duty.

This was an operational training event.

There is a difference.

Russia once again appears to be sending a message to the west that it seeks to limit escalation.

This time the camel got a bloody nose.

The next time—if there is a next time—the camel may not survive.

Let’s hope the west is sophisticated enough to comprehend the message Russia appears to be sending.

 

[Benjamin]

Unfortunately, I don't have a better source, since RT English gets blocked:

Hope this helps.

Ukrainian strikes have left 550,000 without power in western Russia – governor​

Jan. 9, 2026

Around 2,000 apartment buildings in Belgorod Region currently have no heating, Vyacheslav Gladkov has said

Ukrainian strikes have caused massive power outages in Russia’s western region of Belgorod.

Belgorod, a city of 330,000 people, has frequently been targeted by Ukrainian drones and rockets since the armed conflict between Moscow and Kiev began in 2022.

The regional governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said Friday that an overnight missile strike had caused “serious damage” to an unspecified infrastructure site. He added that there were no casualties and that first responders were at the scene.

Gladkov later said in a video message on his Telegram channel that as of 6am local time, outages were affecting 556,000 people across six municipalities. He added that around 2,000 apartment buildings had lost heating and nearly 200,000 people were without running water in their homes.

Belgorod’s temperature on Friday morning was around 2 °C (36 °F) and is expected to drop to −5 °C (23 °F) over the weekend.

Telegram news channels reported that air raid sirens were activated, followed shortly by a loud explosion. According to reports, a power plant may have been hit.

Russia has repeatedly accused Ukraine of striking civilian targets, including with weapons supplied by the West.

On the same night, Ukrainian officials reported drone strikes and blackouts in Kiev.

The Russian Defense Ministry has previously said that Moscow targets parts of the grid used to power Ukraine’s weapons manufacturing industry.

The video I posted is not the same as the one originally in the RT article which only shows the first 15 seconds. This one from YT shows multiple recordings. These missiles are scary!

Suspected Oreshnik missile strike captured in Ukraine (VIDEO)​

Jan. 8, 2026

Unconfirmed reports claim that Russia hit a target in Lviv Region with its newest ballistic weapon

An unverified video posted on social media shows a suspected Russian Oreshnik hypersonic missile strike in western Ukraine.

CCTV footage shared by RIA Novosti on Friday shows bright projectiles landing in Ukraine’s Lviv region, which borders Poland. Russian officials have not confirmed the strike.

Lviv Mayor Andrey Sadovoy said “a piece of critical infrastructure” had been hit.

Russian Telegram news channels have suggested the missile struck an underground gas facility in the city of Striy, about 60km from Lviv.

If confirmed, it would be the second time Russia has used its newest nuclear-capable ballistic missile in Ukraine.

In November 2024, Moscow fired the Oreshnik at a weapons plant in Dnepr in what it described as a successful “combat test.” By late 2025, the missiles had been delivered to Russia’s close ally, Belarus.

 

[mantle]

Actually the facility contained not only a large portion of Ukraine"s energy reserves. A large portion of EU's storage also and large reserves of weapons.

 

[Ricardo]

That was also my first thought, that the attacks were planned beforehand.

Klitschko advices some residents of Kiev to leave the city when they can since about 6.000 apartment buildings are without power, mainly heating.

Unfortunately, I don't have a better source, since RT English gets blocked:

https://unn.ua/en/amp/the-most-painful-russian-attack-with-half-of-high-rise-buildings-without-heating-power-and-water-outages-klitschko-advised-kyiv-residents-to-leave-the-city-if-possible

And now of course Ukraine wants an immediate UN security council meeting.

fwiw , If your using Brave browser it´s simple to sidestep the RT blocking in Settings -> security , and change DNS to Cloudflare 1.1.1.1