Germany condemns Russia’s use of Oreshnik missile in strike on Ukraine

Germany on Friday strongly condemned Russia for using its modern Oreshnik medium-range ballistic missile in an attack on Ukraine, calling the strike an unprovoked escalation as Western powers press for a diplomatic path to end the war.

According to digital news portal L’Essentiel, Deputy German government spokesman Steffen Meyer said at a press conference in Berlin that Russia launched the Oreshnik missile at a moment when Ukraine, the US, and European partners had been intensifying efforts to secure peace.

“While Ukraine, the United States, and Europe have in recent days and weeks been working very intensively toward peace in Ukraine, Russia has used the Oreshnik medium-range missile against Ukraine,” Meyer said.

The German government, he added, condemns the attack “in the strongest possible terms.”

Meyer said the missile strike targeted civilian energy infrastructure, further deepening the conflict and worsening conditions for Ukraine’s population.

“With its attack on civilian Ukrainian energy infrastructure, Russia has escalated the conflict once again,” he said, describing the strike as a “symbolic gesture of threat” aimed at spreading fear.

“Russia is escalating here further without provocation,” Meyer added.

Missile used against civilian infrastructure

The Oreshnik is one of Russia’s newer medium-range ballistic missile systems and has been presented by Moscow as a key element of its long-range strike capabilities. Its use against Ukraine, Germany said, marked a deliberate step up in the level of force.

The condemnation came after Russia launched a massive overnight attack on Ukraine that included drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles aimed at cities and energy facilities.

Ukrainian officials said the strikes hit residential areas and critical infrastructure as temperatures plunged below freezing, leaving large numbers of civilians without heat and electricity in mid-winter.

Peace efforts overshadowed by strikes

Germany’s statement came just days after renewed diplomatic efforts in Paris involving Ukraine, the United States, and European partners, where officials discussed possible security guarantees for Kyiv in the event of a ceasefire.

Those talks, German officials said, were meant to lay the groundwork for a durable peace – a context that, in Berlin’s view, made the meaning behind Moscow’s use of the Oreshnik missile particularly stark.

Meyer said Russia’s decision to deploy such a weapon underlined its willingness to intensify the war rather than pursue diplomacy.

Energy infrastructure under pressure

Russian strikes on Ukraine’s power and heating systems have been a recurring feature of Moscow’s campaign, particularly during the winter months, when damage to energy networks has the most severe humanitarian impact.

German officials said the latest attack, using a medium-range ballistic missile, was intended not only to cause physical destruction but also to intimidate both Ukraine and its international backers.

As Berlin and its allies continue to press for a diplomatic solution, Meyer said that, by its actions, Russia showed that it chooses escalation over negotiation.