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

 

[Niall]

In case anyone did not get the message of Russia's latest Oreshnik strikes, Medvedev has spelled it out:

https://twitter.com/x/status/2009937833784488099

 

[Beau]

In case anyone did not get the message of Russia's latest Oreshnik strikes, Medvedev has spelled it out

Looks like Thor's hammer coming down!!

 

[Possibility of Being]

Some are saying that the target was an underground "gas storage"? It was an underground something anyway - hopefully a CIA bunker.

Yes, it was a gas storage facility, the biggest one in Europe and one of the most hard-to-reach targets. Below is a compilation of 2 TG messages of yesterday:

Oreshnik" Is Coming to Us
striking and delivering an invigorating taste

As if deciding to continue the series of extremely bright events of 2026, Russian troops used "Oreshnik" as part of a comprehensive strike on fuel and energy complex facilities in the so-called Ukraine.

If the use in Dnipropetrovsk was primarily evaluated for the reaction of Western partners to the "field tests" of Russia's new weapons, today's strike seems to have a more applied nature. Although in the current situation, it can also be interpreted politically (the main thing is not to substitute concepts).

Where was the strike delivered and what is its meaning?

-️ According to preliminary information from Ukrainian resources, the strike was delivered on the Bilche-Volytsko-Uherske Underground Gas Storage Facility in the Lviv Region — the largest gas storage facility in Europe, which is also one of the most hard-to-reach targets.

Gas is stored in natural porous sandstones covered by impermeable clay layers: this prevents not only gas leakage but also protects the reservoir from external impact.

-️ The key is in the engineering solution: the infrastructure depth ranges from 690 to 890 meters (for comparison: American bunker-busting bombs GBU-57, which were used on Fordow and other facilities in Iran, can penetrate up to 61 meters). But the geological structure has its vulnerability: the Bilche-Volytsko-Uherske underground gas storage area is characterized by a complex tectonic structure with many faults.

-️ To partially damage the facility, one would need either a nuclear charge of more than 100 kilotons (Oreshnik was used in a non-nuclear version, and the Ukrainian public has already convinced everyone of this). Or seismic impact (extremely powerful).

Today's strike with "Oreshnik" is primarily an assessment of the ability to defeat very specific targets with a specific type of weapon.

So, can "Oreshnik" penetrate to such a depth?

No, it cannot penetrate that deep — physics cannot be deceived. But *theoretically*, even without explosives, "Oreshnik", which can carry 6 to 10 separating blocks, each containing 6 sub-munitions (up to 36 striking elements in total), accelerating to 10 Mach, *may* cause seismic waves and disrupt geological tightness along tectonic fault lines.

It is possible to understand how capable "Oreshnik" is of affecting such deeply embedded targets only through such "tests".

But isn't it necessary to destroy surface infrastructure?

They have already struck it: on May 14, 2024, Russian troops hit the compressor station infrastructure that provides gas selection and injection. These are key nodes that were already damaged one way or another.

But reserve lines and not all compressors were knocked out. In general, everything was working, albeit not at 100% efficiency.

And they needed to strike again.

The results of the fire strike are yet to be assessed. Overall, the Russian troops tested the "Oreshnik" in its non-nuclear version specifically as a tool for striking deep-buried targets. Based on the footage that has appeared online, it's quite difficult to understand the effectiveness of the strike, and it's still nighttime.

And the Bilche-Volitske underground gas storage facility is a place where gas is stored by more than 200 foreign companies. The fact is that after the cessation of Russian gas transit in 2025, the role of Ukrainian underground gas storage facilities has increased exponentially. Simply put, it's a service for foreign companies. Ukrainian officials stated back in 24 that it's necessary to increase the volumes of foreign gas to improve the economy.

It would be incorrect to say that this is a "response to the seizure of a tanker" and a "tough stance". Even in its non-nuclear version, the "Oreshnik" represents a new type of weaponry. In this case, the primary thing to assess is the military feasibility of such tests - and as we can see, it does exist.

 

[broken.english]

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

Or do this in your router. It will then work with all browsers. Attached is an example of a German FRITZ!Box. The DNS server is set to Cloudflare (DNSv4 and DNSv6) as suggested by Ricardo.

 

[sToRmR1dR]

"$800-bln post-conflict reconstruction deal": Zelensky is attempting to bribe Trump by offering him "Ukraine on loan" in exchange for US troops in Ukraine. More here.

 

[SasaM]

"$800-bln post-conflict reconstruction deal": Zelensky is attempting to bribe Trump by offering him "Ukraine on loan" in exchange for US troops in Ukraine. More here.

It seems that he somehow thinks that Ukraine is similar to Israel when it comes to Trump and US, and not an expendable pawn used to mess up (with) Russia.
What a delusional and desperate despicable guy he is.

 

[Tristan]

In case anyone did not get the message of Russia's latest Oreshnik strikes, Medvedev has spelled it out:

https://twitter.com/x/status/2009937833784488099

Session Date: August 23rd 2025
Q: (Joe) Cool! It's gonna come and put on a show. Hopefully. The Ukraine conflict doesn't seem like it will end any time soon given that the US and Europe seem unwilling to accept Russia's terms and continue arming Ukraine. How long is this conflict likely to continue?

A: Late this year or early next year, but sudden surprises could be in the works.

Q: (Joe) Can we add in, "Oreshnik, anyone?" to the end of that answer? [laughter] "Oreshnik in Kiev"?

A: Yes

This may change the perspective of Ukrainian civilians, because the situation in Kiev could become dramatic in the middle of winter if the situation is not stabilized.

 

[Possibility of Being]

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

Have you tried the alternative address?

RT - Breaking News, Russia News, World News and Video

RT is the first Russian 24/7 English-language news channel which brings the Russian view on global news.

swentr.site

 

[Possibility of Being]

Yes, it was a gas storage facility,

It was or it was not. When all TG channels and other outlets repeat it was the KS Bilche–Volitsa in Stryi, some 60-70 km SSW of Lviv, OSINT guys (tweet) come with a different search result:

Based on a geolocation of the POV of footage showing the Oreshnik IRBM strike on Lviv, we can determine that the target was the Lviv State Aviation Repair Plant. The plant, which repairs MiG-29 fighter jets, appears to have still be in operation prior to the strike. It was hit by 36 MIRVs from the Oreshnik missile.

The "AMK Mapping" account is based in NZ, the other one 3BM15 - in Serbia, in case it matters.

Looks like it's not confirmed yet and I'm not convinced. For such a target Oreshnik would be a waste. Time will tell. The official reports are not helping with their general statements.

One way or another, the strikes on Kiev the same night brought much more damage without Oreshnik.

 

[Gawan]

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

Thank you, but I'm not brave enough for brave. I have a look around to find a solution.

Have you tried the alternative address?

RT - Breaking News, Russia News, World News and Video

RT is the first Russian 24/7 English-language news channel which brings the Russian view on global news.

swentr.site

Thank you, but unfortunately it gets blocked as well, for German RT I have several alternative IPs which are working.

But I don't like to sidetrack the topic and will find a solution! Be it VPN in the end for example.