Armed conflict

Russia Hits Kyiv With Hypersonic Oreshnik Missile

Was Russia's strike on Ukraine justified retaliation or reckless nuclear brinkmanship masking battlefield losses?

20 hours ago·Updated 18 hours ago

Russia Hits Kyiv With Hypersonic Oreshnik Missile

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Above: A view of a shopping mall destroyed in a Russian airstrike in Kyiv, Ukraine, on May 24, 2026. Image credit: Danylo Antoniuk/Anadolu/Getty Images

The Spin

Pro-Russia narrative

Russia's massive strike on Ukraine was a direct response to a Ukrainian drone attack on a college dormitory in Starobelsk that killed 21 people, mostly teenage girls. Targeting military command posts, air bases and defense industry sites, the strike hit every designated objective. Calling out the Zelenskyy regime's actions as terrorism isn't propaganda — the evidence of deliberate strikes on civilian facilities demands international condemnation.

Russia at the United Nations on X TASS

Anti-Russia narrative

Russia's use of Oreshnik missiles — systems built to carry nuclear warheads — against Ukrainian cities is reckless nuclear brinkmanship, not legitimate retaliation. Strikes on residential areas and diplomatic buildings prove Moscow has zero interest in peace and is doubling down on terror to mask battlefield losses. Western allies must dramatically increase military aid to Ukraine and economic pressure on Russia before 2026 becomes a turning point.

Marko Mihkelson on X

Thomas Byrne on X Ukrainska Pravda