Ukraine accused Russia on Thursday of having, for the first time, fired an intercontinental missile on its territory, using this vector of its nuclear deterrent without an atomic charge, in the midst of a new Russian-Western escalation around the Ukrainian conflict.
The Russian army has so far remained silent, as has the Kremlin. “I have nothing to say on this subject,” replied the spokesperson for the Russian presidency, Dmitry Peskov, when questioned by the media on this subject during a daily briefing.
“An intercontinental ballistic missile was launched from the Russian region of Astrakhan” in the south of the country, the Ukrainian Air Force said in a statement.
“This is the first time. We have never had this type of missile before,” a source within this army told AFP.
These missiles are designed to carry nuclear warheads and strike from thousands of kilometers away.
This use, if confirmed, marks a new escalation, while Russia had said it was preparing an “appropriate” response to Ukraine's use of Western missiles on Russian territory, which Moscow had described as a red line.
It is “obvious” that the missile used Thursday did not carry a nuclear charge, said the AFP source within the air force.
The strike targeted the town of Dnipro in east-central Ukraine, according to the Air Force. The extent of the damage was not immediately clear.
Two people were injured by Russian strikes in Dnipro on Thursday, according to regional governor Serguii Lyssak, who did not, however, specify the type of weapons used in this attack.
Fifteen other people were injured in another attack in Kryvyi Rig, a town about 100 kilometers southwest of Dnipro, according to Mr. Lyssak.
– Nuclear warnings –
Thursday's attack occurs at a time when tensions are at their highest between Moscow and the West, with the approach of Donald Trump's return to the White House in January anticipated as a turning point.
Russia, which invaded Ukraine almost three years ago, has increased major strikes in Ukraine and warnings against kyiv's allies in recent days.
The Russian Defense Ministry announced Thursday that it had shot down “two British-made Storm Shadow+ cruise missiles” fired by Ukraine and which were targeting its territory, without specifying the place or time of this interception.
This confirms kyiv's first use of these weapons against Russian territory.
Earlier in the week, Ukraine used American ATACMS missiles, with a range of 300 km, for the first time against a military installation in Russia's Bryansk region, after receiving authorization from Washington.
Several Western countries supplied long-range missiles to Ukraine but did not allow their use on Russian territory, fearing Moscow's reaction.
Russia has reinforced its nuclear warnings in recent days, while accusing the West of “wanting escalation”.
According to its new doctrine on the use of nuclear weapons, made official on Tuesday, Russia can now use them in the event of a “massive” attack by a non-nuclear country but supported by a nuclear power, a clear reference to Ukraine and in the United States.
The Kremlin, however, assured Thursday that Russia would make “maximum efforts” to avoid a nuclear conflict, saying it hoped that “other countries” would have “this responsible posture.”
– Advance in the east –
At the same time, the Russian army continues to advance in eastern Ukraine. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed Thursday the capture of a small town near the town of Kurakhové, in eastern Ukraine.
Russian troops are now close to surrounding this industrial city, deserted by a large part of its population due to the danger.
Soldiers from Moscow are also approaching Pokrovsk, another urban center in the Donetsk region seen as strategic for the logistics of the Ukrainian army.
This progress is particularly worrying for kyiv, which fears being pushed to the negotiating table in an unfavorable position.
Donald Trump, winner of the American presidential election, has a very critical position on the aid paid to kyiv by his country. He has repeatedly promised to end the war “in 24 hours”, without however supporting his plan.
