Editor-DN
In a sign of a major escalation, Russia on Thursday morning launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) against Ukraine from the Astrakhan region, the first use of the weapon in war.
The strike targeted businesses and critical infrastructure in the central eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro. It is not clear whether the missile caused any significant damage.
“An intercontinental ballistic missile was fired from the Astrakhan region of the Russian Federation,” the Ukrainian Air Force said.
Security experts said it would be the first military use of an intercontinental ballistic missile.
The statement did not specify the type of missile but identified six. Kh-101 cruise missile were also launched, all but one of which were intercepted by Ukrainian air defenses, CNN reported.
According to The Telegraph, Russian media have reported that Moscow has used the RS-26 Rubezh missile, which is capable of carrying conventional and nuclear warheads and flying at hypersonic speeds, to thwart interception efforts. It gets complicated.
ICBMs typically have a range of more than 5,500 km and are designed to carry nuclear or conventional warheads.
According to Reuters, the attack underscores rising tensions after Ukraine recently used US-made ATACMS and British-French Storm Shadow missiles to strike deep inside Russian territory.
As Ukraine took the first step, the Russian Defense Ministry said today that its air defense system had intercepted two British-made Storm Shadow missiles, six HIMARS rockets and 67 drones have been shot down.
The announcement came at the Ministry’s daily roundup of “special military operations” in Ukraine, the AP reported.
The European Union said Russian President Vladimir Putin’s attack marked a “clear escalation” in the war.
“While we are assessing the full facts, it is clear that such an attack would mark another clear escalation by Putin,” EU foreign affairs spokesman Peter Stano told reporters. “At war, AFP reported.
The ICBM use follows President Vladimir Putin’s recent update on Russia’s nuclear doctrine. On Tuesday, he announced that Russia would consider aggression by a non-nuclear state, backed by a nuclear power, a direct threat to its sovereignty.
The Kremlin had previously warned that Ukraine’s use of Western long-range missiles Will be seen as a big plus.
Ukrainian forces used these advanced weapons to target Russian military installations earlier this week.
Moscow responded with threats of “massive” retaliatory strikes, including the deployment of more advanced missile systems.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on the ICBM deployment. “This is a question for our military,” he said.
