Europe reacts to Russia's massive shelling of Ukraine

Ukrinform reported this.

In particular, Moldova's President Maia Sandu condemned Russia's use of the Oreshnik medium-range ballistic missile to strike Ukraine on the social network X.

“This act of terror aims to intimidate Ukraine and its partners. This war is moving closer to Europe and is a danger to us all. We stand united with Ukraine,” she wrote.

The Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on the social media X that Russia had committed an act of blatant barbarism and was deliberately committing war crimes against civilians, announcing the use of the Oreshnik missile.

“Overnight, missiles tore into residential areas and critical infrastructure, plunging millions into darkness, cold, and fear in the middle of winter. This is calculated mass terror against an entire nation. Russia’s lies cannot hide its crimes. There can be no excuses, no neutrality. Only maximum pressure on the aggressor and unwavering support for Ukraine,” the post reads.

Following the massive attack by the Russian Federation, Lithuanian Ambassador to Ukraine Inga Stanytė-Tolockienė emphasized that Ukraine's partners should prioritize meeting Kyiv's needs now, rather than after the ceasefire.

“Escalation of terror is Putin’s response to peace overtures. He does not want Ukraine to succeed—he wants the country and its sovereignty destroyed. We should focus on addressing Ukraine’s needs now, not post-ceasefire. Now is the moment that demands ramping up pressure on Russia,” the diplomat wrote on the social network X.

Chargé d'Affaires a.i. of the Republic of Poland in Ukraine, Piotr Łukasiewicz, called the nighttime Russian attack on Kyiv and Lviv a hysterical reaction to a series of recent Russian failures.

He stated that, according to news from Lviv, the Russians used an unknown type of missile there, “probably a multi-warhead medium-range ballistic missile.”

"This is nothing more than a hysterical reaction to a series of recent Russian failures: Announcements of new US and European sanctions, arrests of illegal vessels, the formation of a European coalition, and the finalization of agreements by allies that guarantee security in the region and peace," the diplomat said in a statement posted on Facebook by the Polish Embassy in Ukraine.

Piotr Łukasiewicz believes that the lack of success on the front line further frustrates the Kremlin. “It is telling that almost exclusively civilian targets are being hit. Barbarians,” the diplomat stated.

As reported by Ukrinform, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that on the night of January 9, a strike was carried out on the territory of Ukraine, including with a medium-range ballistic missile “Oreshnik.” The Russian Ministry of Defense called this a response to an alleged attack on Putin's residence in Valday on the night of December 29, 2025.

The Air Command West of the Ukrainian Air Force reported that the ballistic missile with which the enemy attacked Lviv on January 8 was moving at a speed of 13,000 kilometers per hour. The type of missile with which the enemy struck the city will be determined after examining all its elements.

According to Colonel Yuriy Ignat, Head of the Communications Department of the Ukrainian Air Force Command, Russia could have struck the Lviv region from the Kapustin Yar training ground in the Astrakhan region, where, according to preliminary information, the Oreshnik complex is based.

President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized that the information about the strikes on Putin's Valday residence is fake news invented by the Russians to disrupt the successful negotiations on ending the war.