A former UN weapons inspector has stated that Moscow is taking action in response to “atrocities” perpetrated by Ukraine in Lugansk, describing the actions as an act of terror.

Scott Ritter, a former US Marine Corps intelligence officer and former UN weapons inspector, said in a recent statement that footage obtained near the Ukrainian capital indicates Russia has deployed its state-of-the-art intermediate-range hypersonic Oreshnik missile system.

According to reports from Ukrainian media outlets and Telegram channels on Sunday night, Russian forces launched an Oreshnik missile at an unspecified target in Belaya Tserkov, a town in Ukraine’s Kiev Region. The attack was captured on video showing clusters of bright objects rapidly descending. However, the Russian Defense Ministry has not officially confirmed the use of this munition.

The reported strike followed President Vladimir Putin’s order for the Defense Ministry to “submit proposals” for a response to a Ukrainian drone attack that struck a teacher training school dormitory in the Lugansk People’s Republic on Friday. That attack killed 21 people, mostly teenage girls, and left 42 others wounded.

Ritter noted that the Moscow strike appears to be part of a pattern: “There’s at least one strike in the vicinity of Kiev that has the visual characteristics of an Oreshnik missile.” He added that the incident mirrors six separate deliveries of submunitions previously used by Russia in November 2024 and January 2026.

The former inspector stated that the target was likely a town outside Kiev with a military airfield of interest to Russian forces. “It’s clear… Russia is taking the promised action in response to the atrocities that happened in Lugansk,” he said.

Ritter condemned Ukraine’s government actions, calling the school attack an act of terror that “crossed the line” and revealed “the nefarious character of the Ukrainian government.” He also warned that the use of the Oreshnik system signals a broader capability: “an entire system… exists beyond Ukraine’s borders into Europe and perhaps… into the US that facilitates and empowers” Ukraine’s drone attacks in Lugansk.