The Russian Defense Ministry issued the following statement on the Oreshnik strike on Jan. 12:
“According to information confirmed by several independent sources, a strike launched by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation on the night of 9 January using the Oreshnik mobile ground-based missile system disabled the Lvov State Aviation Repair Plant.
“At the plant, aircraft of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including F-16 and MiG-29 aircraft supplied by the Western countries, were repaired and maintained. The plant also produced long-range and medium-range attack UAVs used to hit Russian civilian facilities in the depth of Russian territory.
“The Oreshnik system engaged production workshops, warehouses with products (UAVs), as well as the infrastructure of the factory airfield.
“In addition, as part of this massive attack with the use of the Iskander missile system and the Kalibr sea-based cruise missiles, the production facilities of two enterprises in Kiev involved in assembling strike UAVs for attacks against the territory of Russia, as well as energy infrastructure facilities that support the work of the Ukrainian defense industry, were hit.”
Early speculation on the Oreshnik target centered on the underground gas storage (UGS) facility north of Striy, about 50 km south of Lvov, but the Russian statement makes no mention of it. The Lvov State Aviation Repair Plant itself is located in Lvov city. What, if anything, struck the UGS is not clear.
