Russia fired an intercontinental ballistic missile from its Astrakhan region in the south on Thursday, the 21st of November, during an attack on Ukraine, the Kyiv air force said, the first time Russia has used such a powerful, long-range missile in wartime, at a time when increasingly dramatic steps are being taken in the 33-month war that Russia launched in Ukraine, reports Reuters.
The strike came after Ukraine this week used US, and British, missiles to attack targets inside Russia in what Moscow has warned for months would be seen as a major escalation.
Intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) are strategic weapons with a range of thousands of kilometres and can carry both nuclear warheads and conventional warheads. The Ukrainians did not specify what kind of warhead the missile had or what type of missile it was. It was not stated that it was a nuclear-armed missile.
The Russian attack targeted businesses and critical infrastructure in the central-eastern city of Dnipro,
the air force said, but did not clarify whether it had caused any damage, while Serhiy Lysak, the regional governor, said the missile attack had damaged an industrial company and caused fires in the city of Dnipro. Two people were injured.
Russia also fired a Kinzhal hypersonic missile and seven Kh-101 cruise missiles, six of which were shot down, the Ukrainian air force said.
“In particular, an intercontinental ballistic missile was fired from the Astrakhan region of the Russian Federation,” the air force said, without specifying the type of ICBM fired.
‼️ The Ukrainian city of Dnipro became the first city in human history to be struck by an intercontinental ballistic missile. It is a historic turning point. An intercontinental ballistic missile used not on a firing range, but against a city of a million people. pic.twitter.com/TyXjY3TjFz
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) November 21, 2024
Defense Express questioned whether the US, Ukraine’s main ally, was informed in advance of the missile launch, noting that such warnings are “a prerequisite to prevent the missile warning system from being triggered and missiles fired in response”.
Tensions escalated when Ukraine reportedly fired British Storm Shadow missiles at Russia’s Kursk region on Wednesday and US ATACMS missiles on Tuesday, with the permission of outgoing US President Joe Biden, as both sides seek to strengthen their positions ahead of potential peace talks under the incoming Trump administration.