Moscow launched nuclear-capable missile without warhead, adviser says

“Today, the Russians again killed and wounded civilians, burned down a market and a shopping mall, and attacked a recreation center. They launched a nuclear missile without a nuclear warhead to scare us and the world,” Sternenko wrote on Telegram.

He also predicted how events may unfold in the near future.

“Next, the Russians will see several more facilities like Tuapse burn, and by the end of the year, attacks on Russia will become significantly larger. The middle-strike segment will also expand, causing major logistics problems for the occupiers. Things will get worse for them on the front. At the same time, the Russian economy will be dying, and even temporarily high oil prices will not save it,” Sternenko wrote.

Social tensions inside Russia will grow, eventually leading to the collapse of its political system, he added.

“There will still be convulsions in the form of possible attacks on the EU or an attempted mobilization, but overall, Vladimir Putin buried Russia on Feb. 20, 2014, when he started the war against Ukraine,” Sternenko said.

Ukrainian intelligence received information from U.S. and European partners that Russia was preparing a strike using an Oreshnik missile, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on May 23.

Ukraine’s Air Force warned overnight on May 24 of the threat of Russia using an intermediate-range ballistic missile, known as Oreshnik.

Videos later began circulating on monitoring channels showing what was described as a Russian strike on Bila Tserkva in Kyiv Oblast.

The footage was described as possibly showing an Oreshnik missile strike.

Videos published online appeared to show the moment of impact, with the missile’s warheads separating before a series of explosions.

The OSINT channel Oko Hora wrote: “And again without a warhead — empty separating blocks, dummies, 36 pieces. A strike using kinetic force. The first few explosions heard by local residents were the missile entering the atmosphere. The rest were the dummies falling to the ground. First strike — Nov. 21, 2024; second strike — Jan. 8, 2026; third strike — May 24, 2026.”

Russia has twice previously launched Oreshnik missiles at Ukraine. The first strike targeted Dnipro on Nov. 21, 2024. Russia attacked Lviv Oblast with an Oreshnik missile on Jan. 9, 2026. According to Ukraine’s Air Force, the target was traveling at a speed of 13,000 kilometers per hour.