UN Security Council will hold emergency meeting this Monday to discuss Russia and Ukraine

Russia says it carried out an attack on Ukraine with nuclear-capable missiles The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting this Monday (12) to discuss the situation in Ukraine, according to the body’s schedule. The decision comes after Russia attacked the capital of Ukraine, Kiev, using the Oreshnik supersonic missile system, which has nuclear capabilities, this Friday (9). ✅ Follow the g1 international news channel on WhatsApp After the offensive, Ukrainian ambassador Andriy Melnyk sent a letter to the organization. “The Russian Federation has reached a frightening new level of war crimes and crimes against humanity with the terror perpetrated against civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine,” Melnyk said in the document. ➡️ Oreshnik missiles are capable of carrying nuclear warheads, but there is no indication that those used in the attack were equipped with them. (Learn more about the system below). According to Ukrainian authorities, at least four people died and 22 were injured as a result of the attacks. The Ukrainian air force reported that Russia launched 36 missiles and 242 drones into Ukrainian territory. According to the army, the offensive was a response to the attempted attack on Putin’s residence in December 2025. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denied this. (Read more below.) The attacks targeted Ukrainian energy infrastructure that supports Ukraine’s military-industrial complex and drone manufacturing facilities. Russia first used the Oreshnik in November 2024, when it fired an experimental shot at a factory in Dnipro, Ukraine. See system details. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha spoke out and said that the Russian attack on Oreshnik, close to the border of the European Union and NATO, represents a “serious threat” to European security. Sybiha also stated that she is informing the US and Europe about the details of the attack and calls on partners to increase pressure on Russia. Discover the Oreshnik system The Oreshnik is an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) system developed by Russia. This type of weapon can reach targets up to 5,500 kilometers away and reach speeds of up to 13,000 kilometers per hour. This would make it possible to reach much of Europe from Russian territory or Belarus, where units of the system have already been installed. With the ability to reach hypersonic speeds, the Oreshnik officially entered active service at the end of 2025 and is considered by experts to be one of the most difficult missiles to intercept in operation today. Although it is classified as an intermediate-range missile, previously observed launches have occurred at shorter distances, estimated between 800 and 850 kilometers. Experts say, however, that the system is capable of significantly longer trajectories. The Oreshnik can also use multiple warheads, known by the acronym MIRV, which allow the release of several projectiles in the final phase of the flight: a single missile can carry between six and eight warheads, each programmed to hit a different target. Russia accuses Ukraine of attacking Putin’s home In December last year, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that Ukraine attempted to attack Putin’s home in the Novgorod region, 500 km north of Moscow. According to Lavrov, on December 28 and 29, Ukraine attacked the Russian president’s official residence in the Novgorod region, with 91 long-range drones. Zelensky said the Russian claims were “lies.” He said Russia was trying to disrupt progress in peace talks between Ukraine and the United States and that Moscow was preparing the ground to attack Ukrainian government buildings. The Russian accusation was made the day after US President Donald Trump said he was very close to concluding a peace plan for Ukraine, even admitting that negotiations were still stuck on sensitive points, mainly over control of territories. The statement was made after a meeting lasting more than two hours with Zelensky, in Florida. Ukraine says Russia’s attempt to justify the attack by repeating the claim that Ukraine attacked Putin’s residence is “absurd.” UN Security Council Eduardo Munoz/Reuters Firefighters work in a garage complex damaged during a Russian attack with drones and missiles, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kiev, Ukraine, January 9, 2026 REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko

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