DISINFO: Russian Oreshnik missile caused an earthquake in Ukraine

DISINFORMATION CASE DETAILS

DISINFO: Russian Oreshnik missile caused an earthquake in Ukraine

SUMMARY

The use of the Oreshnik missile caused a seismic effect in Lviv. The power of the Russian Oreshnik missile system, even without its nuclear warhead, is such that it triggered an earthquake in the Lviv region. The impact of this missile is so powerful that it causes an artificial earthquake. This was, in fact, felt by those who were in the Lviv region at the time of the impact. Thus, the missile is destructive not only to ground targets but also to underground ones.

RESPONSE

Disinformation claims about the Russian missile complex Oreshnik and the Russian military 'superiority' over NATO.

On the night of January 9, Russia launched one Oreshnik medium-range ballistic missile at the Lviv region. The Russian army used this missile to attack a critical infrastructure facility. Laboratory tests were conducted at the missile's impact site; background radiation remained within normal limits and no elevated levels of harmful substances in the air were detected. There were no reports of earthquakes at the site of the missile attack or in the Lviv region as a whole.

The Main Center for Special Monitoring (MCSS) of Ukraine, which monitors seismic activity, also recorded no tremors in the Lviv region on that day. The MCSS's interactive maps show that over the past month, earthquakes have only been recorded in the Chernivtsi, Khmelnytskyi, Zakarpattia, and Ternopil regions, as well as on the southern coast of the Crimean Peninsula. According to the Center, the most recent magnitude 3 earthquake was recorded in the Lviv region on the evening of September 28, 2025.

Other monitoring agencies also did not record any earthquakes in Ukraine. The International Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Center, which quickly collects and disseminates earthquake information, did not record any earthquakes in Ukraine during the specified period. Maps from the U.S. Geological Survey also show that no tremors were recorded across Ukraine from January 8 to 9, 2026.

Kremlin-controlled media continue to spread a massive intimidation campaign around Oreshnik.

Read more in the case that claims that The deployment of Oreshnik in Belarus is a death sentence for Poland.

Disclaimer

Cases in the EUvsDisinfo database focus on messages in the international information space that are identified as providing a partial, distorted, or false depiction of reality and spread key pro-Kremlin messages. This does not necessarily imply, however, that a given outlet is linked to the Kremlin or editorially pro-Kremlin, or that it has intentionally sought to disinform. EUvsDisinfo publications do not represent an official EU position, as the information and opinions expressed are based on media reporting and analysis of the East Stratcom Task Force.

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