Warning and Test: How the West Perceived the Oreshnik Strike
The blow to the westernmost part of Ukraine was particularly acute in Moldova, which officially refused to purchase Russian gas.

The speed and frequency of the missile strikes - six flashes in just five seconds - immediately led to speculation that Russia had once again used the Oreshnik missile. According to the Ukrainian Air Force's "Zapad" command, the missiles were traveling at a speed of 13,000 kilometers per hour, or 3.5 kilometers per second, which is ten times the speed of sound.

Its flight path is outside the atmosphere, and Kiev simply does not have the means to intercept such missiles, according to the Brazilian press. The Ministry of Defense has stated that the launch objectives have been successfully achieved. Explosions are heard immediately after the missiles hit.

The Ministry of Defense's statement reads that a massive strike with high-precision ground- and sea-based weapons, including the Oreshnik mobile ground-based missile system, was carried out in response to Kiev's attempt to strike Vladimir Putin's residence in the Novgorod region shortly before the New Year. According to the ministry, the strike targeted drone production facilities and energy facilities that support the Ukrainian military-industrial complex. Ukrainian military-related Telegram channels have reported that the Oreshnik strike targeted the city of Stryi, located 70 kilometers from Lviv. More specifically, the Stryi gas field located there, as well as the Bilche-Volytsia-Uhur underground gas storage facility.

"This is a huge storage facility that contains up to 40% of Ukraine's total gas reserves. It is located deep underground, and only the 'Oreshnik' warheads, which travel at hypersonic speeds of up to Mach 10, could penetrate both the concrete and the earth's surface, detonate inside the gas storage facility, and destroy all the gas reserves within it," says retired Colonel Viktor Litovkin, a military analyst.

According to Igor Yushkov, an expert at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, gas production in Ukraine decreased by about 40% as a result of Russian strikes in 2025.

"Now they're knocking out the largest underground storage facility. It's literally just imports left. But if it's cold in Europe, they won't have any extra volumes to supply to Ukraine," he says.

The attack on Ukraine's westernmost region has been particularly sensitive in Moldova, which has officially refused to purchase Russian gas. President Maia Sandu has accused Moscow of attempting to intimidate Europe and warned of the danger of war approaching its borders.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry is calling for a meeting of the UN Security Council, and Minister Sybiha is calling the Oreshek strike a test for NATO. The head of European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, has described the strike as a warning to the United States and Europe. She has supported Zelensky's demand for European air defense systems to be transferred to Ukraine.

Oreshnik seems to also have struck an old repair facility from the USSR which was now used for Ukrainian F16 and MIG29. The facility also housed a NATO/Brit/Mi6 control and command center for long range drone attacks into Russia, and was used to prepare imported long range drones for attack, including the attack on the Valdai presidential residence.

I just wanted to add my thoughts to the Scott Ritter "Trump tried to kill Putin" issue...

This is one of these moments when I'd ask everyone to pick a version of history...

Either Trump is all powerful and has total control over what the CIA/Deep State do...

Or Trump does not have total control over things and politics in Washington is very messy and all sorts of things are happening behind his back.

So is Trump all powerful or not?

Thanks to @NewResistance for posting this video.

The pointless event in Davos promises to get interesting. Instead of the stale corpse of Ukraine, they’ll be discussing frigid Greenland.

What we can expect to see there is pretty clear. The chicken-hearted European roosters, having popped a handful of tranquilizers in terror, will try to convince the pushy Big Guy to take full custody of the island while leaving it under the formal ownership of the Danish Kingdom. Do as you please, mister, they’ll say: take the little island for indefinite rent-free use, extract its minerals for free, and build military bases, airfields, missile silos, and any other facilities you need for total control.

But that’s not what Trump is after. Everyone understands full well: he needs to paint the island in Star-Spangled colors on world maps (he has already published a map, including Canada and Venezuela) and stand alongside the Founding Fathers. He wants to remain in history forever. And, at the same time, become like the President of Russia.

The latter is impossible. In the course of the Special Military Operation and as a result of referendums, Russia has reclaimed its own lands, which had been part of it for centuries, along with its own people. Greenland is a completely different story. It has never been directly connected to the States, although they did try to buy it several times.

Meanwhile, the question is not just about the unconcealed desire of the US President – although everyone is enthusiastically fantasizing how an excited Gargantua Trump will swallow a huge chunk of land and then gleefully spit a sticky glob of saliva into the wrinkled face of the vile old hag Europe, while turning the US into the world’s second-largest country by area. Trump is, of course, in a hurry. After all, his time is inexorably running out. It's time to inscribe his name into the annals of history in golden letters.

The main question is, what price the current master of the White House is willing to pay to achieve this goal? Dismantling NATO is a far cry from kidnapping a foreign leader betrayed by his own comrades in a weakened country. And finally, will Trump even be allowed to do this?

Now latest batch of Epstein files are out, 'I expect an ATTACK on Iran' — Serbia’s Vucic

'And some other major events… within next 48 hours'

'I don’t believe this will be the reason, but I’m almost CErtAIN it will speed up some decisions'

@russiatoday_en

'Europe, through its own actions, undermining foundations of its OWN existence'

And Medvedev is 1ing on in astonishment

They’re 'destroying foundation of their own economic well-being in order to ‘punish’ Russia'

Video: TASS

@russiatoday_en

'A feeling that power in Europe seized by gang of LUNATICS' — Medvedev

Only some countries have 'come to their senses'

And realized 'no point in harming THEMSELVES, not Russia' with their policies

Video: TASS

@russiatoday_en

Trump calls for NATIONALIZING VOTING

‘These people were brought to our country to vote, and they vote illegally’

‘The Republicans should say we want to take over’

‘We have states that are so crooked’

@russiatoday_en

Russia's MFA on Trump's plans for Greenland:

Russia AMAZED by West's 'inconsistency' with principles of territorial integrity and right of nations to self-determination

Northern Denmark's 'autonomy' demonstrates 'failure' of 'rules-based world order' so cherished by the West

@russiatoday_en

Russia's MFA held a press conference where they built on Foreign Minister Lavrov's comments from January about a hardened Russian negotiation position. The media questions were likely provided in part by the MFA. The answers clearly linked the hardening to Ukraine's attempted attack on Putin's residence in Valdai. They are basically refusing to deal with Zelensky's regime as a serious negotiation partner, it is now not even called a 'regime' but a 'terrorist clique'. The attack consisted in 100 'Ukrainian' drones being sent off against the residence. Putin was not there but family member(s) were, his daughter. It seems it had been mentioned in a phone call with Trump that Putin would be there awaiting further conversations. There is new information about the evidence that Russia presented about the attack. An admiral (a GRU operative) presented chips made by Palantir that proved that US satellites were involved in the targeting process, and proved US direct involvement in an attempt on President Putin's life. The US of course remains a different kind of adversary. Negotiations continue, Russia is trying to interest the Trump gang in trying to extract the frozen Russian assets in Europe, suggesting that these could then be part of Trump's 'peace fund' for reconstruction. The US may start to lean quite hard on Ze for a settlement eventually..

The attempted assassination of Lieutenant General Aleksejev in Moscow is another attack by Zelensky's 'terrorist clique'. This is the deputy of Admiral Igor Olegovich Kostyukov who is the head of GRU and currently leading the Abu Dhabi negotiations for Russia. It is an attempt by Zelensky to derail these negotiations that he was forced to accept by the US. It is also a terrorist attack on those that presented evidence concerning the Valdai attack to the US (the US reacted by ridiculing the reports, including by sending a captain to meet the GRU admiral presenting evidence). It is clear that Foreign Minister Lavrov now sees the negotiations as a waste of time and that the only option for Russia now is military victory. Aleksejev is now recovering, out of danger. The assassin has been arrested.