Macron and Kallas Condemn Russia’s Use of Nuclear-Capable Oreshnik Missile in Ukraine Attack

French President Emmanuel Macron and the European Union’s foreign-policy chief Kaja Kallas condemned Russia after Ukrainian officials said Moscow used the nuclear-capable Oreshnik ballistic missile during a massive overnight attack on Ukraine.

The strike came during one of the heaviest barrages on Kyiv and the surrounding region in recent months, with fires, damaged residential buildings and emergency responses reported across the capital.

What was condemned

The central issue was not only the scale of the attack, but the reported use of Oreshnik — a nuclear-capable intermediate-range ballistic missile that Russia has promoted as a strategic warning weapon.

Macron described the use of the missile as an escalation in Russia’s war against Ukraine. Kallas said the attack was meant as a warning not only to Ukraine, but also to Europe and the United States, and characterized the move as reckless nuclear brinkmanship.

What Ukraine reported

Ukrainian officials said Russia launched a large combined strike overnight into May 24, including missiles and hundreds of drones. Ukraine’s Air Force and President Volodymyr Zelensky said the Oreshnik was used during the barrage, with reporting placing the strike in the Kyiv Oblast area.

Earlier overnight reports already described widespread damage across Kyiv. Later updates added the Oreshnik confirmation to the broader picture of a mass attack involving ballistic and hypersonic weapons alongside drones.

Russia’s position

Russia’s Defense Ministry confirmed the use of Oreshnik in the strike package, according to reporting, while framing the attack as aimed at military command, air bases and defense-industry facilities.

Ukraine and its allies rejected that framing, pointing to residential and civilian damage in Kyiv and nearby communities.

Why Oreshnik matters

Oreshnik is significant because it sits in the gray zone between battlefield strike and strategic intimidation. It can be conventionally armed, but it is nuclear-capable, which is why European officials treat its use as a political signal as much as a military act.

That is the point Kallas emphasized: the missile is not just a weapon used against Ukraine, but a message to Europe and the U.S. about escalation risk.

What is still developing

Casualty totals and damage assessments remain fluid. Reports from Kyiv described deaths, dozens of injuries and damage across multiple districts, but official numbers can shift as rescue work continues.

The confirmed story is that Russia carried out a major overnight attack, Ukraine and Russia both acknowledged Oreshnik’s use in the broader strike, and European leaders framed that use as an escalation.

NoDechev rating: confirmed condemnation and confirmed missile-use reporting. Macron and Kallas condemned the Oreshnik strike; exact damage totals and final casualty figures remain developing.