Stand behind Ukrainian independent journalism when it’s needed most. Help us reach 20,000 members.

Skip to content
Edit post

Russian lawmaker proposes Oreshnik strike following Ukraine's mass drone attack

by Tim Zadorozhnyy March 11, 2025 12:04 PM 2 min read
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Nov. 22, 2024, that Moscow would carry out more tests of the hypersonic Oreshnik ballistic missile. (Gavriil Grigorov / Getty Images)
This audio is created with AI assistance

Russia should strike Ukraine using the Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile, said Andrey Kartapolov, head of Russia’s State Duma Defense Committee, on March 11.

The call for action comes in response to what seems to be the largest Ukrainian drone attack since the start of the full-scale war.

"The decision is up to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief (Russian President Vladimir Putin), but I think it would not be unreasonable (to launch the Oreshnik), better even more than one,” Kartapolov said, as quoted by Russian state-owned news agency TASS.

Kartapolov’s comments follow reports from Russia’s Defense Ministry that its air defenses intercepted a wave of 337 drones across multiple regions, with 74 reportedly shot down on approach to Moscow.

‘There will still be war’ — Ukrainian soldiers on ceasefire proposal, Russia, and Putin
The “ball is in (Russia’s) court,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on March 11 after Kyiv and Washington emerged from talks in Saudi Arabia in agreement over a ceasefire proposal. After the negotiations with Washington, Ukraine announced that it was ready to accept a 30-day-long ceasefire…

In turn, Ukraine’s Air Force reported intercepting 79 of the 126 Russian drones and one Iskander-M ballistic missile launched the same night. Russia conducts daily strikes on Ukraine using missiles, drones, and guided bombs.

Russia has launched the Oreshnik missile against Ukraine once before, striking Dnipro in November 2024 after Kyiv successfully used U.S.-supplied ATACMS missiles to hit a military target on Russian soil.

Putin described the Oreshnik strike as a response to Ukraine’s use of Western long-range weapons to strike inside Russia.

While Putin announced plans for mass production of the Oreshnik, a U.S. official told the Kyiv Independent that Russia likely possessed only a small number of these experimental missiles.

Following the November strike, the Moscow Times reported that the Kremlin staged a media blitz around the attack, citing Russian officials who said the campaign was designed to intimidate the West and deter further arms deliveries to Ukraine.

Moscow targeted by largest drone strike in war, over 330 UAVs downed across Russia, authorities claim
Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports in Moscow introduced temporary flight restrictions in response to the drone attack, Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya) reported.

Independent journalism needs a community —
not a paywall.

We’re working hard to show the world the truth of Russia’s brutal war — and we’re keeping it free for everyone, because reliable information should be available to all.

Our goal: reach 20,000 members to prove independent journalism can survive without paywalls, billionaires, or compromise. Will you help us do it?

Can we reach 20,000 members?

News Feed

11:31 PM

US rolls back Assad-era sanctions on Syria.

The United States granted immediate sanctions relief to Syria after President Donald Trump called for a complete end to sanctions on the country. The sanctions relief was announced by the U.S. Treasury Department and State Department on May 23.
5:27 PM

Inside Ukraine’s 1,000 for 1,000 POW swap with Russia.

On May 23, Ukraine and Russia began the largest prisoner exchange since 2014. Over three days, 1,000 prisoners of war (POWs) from both sides will return home in a deal agreed upon during direct Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul earlier this month — the first such talks between Moscow and Kyiv since 2022. The Kyiv Independent went to the site of exchange.
MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan
* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.