The war in Ukraine is entering the next round of escalation

Long-range Western cruise missiles are said to have attacked Russia for the first time. Kiev, in turn, accuses Moscow of using an intercontinental ballistic missile. Both sides are talking about escalation.

The war of aggression against Ukraine begun by Russia has entered a new dangerous phase with both sides using long-range missiles against each other.

The Defense Ministry in Moscow said it had intercepted two Storm Shadow cruise missiles fired by Ukraine. It would be the first time since the beginning of the war that the cruise missiles supplied from Great Britain would be used against targets in Russia.

“The anti-aircraft defense shot down two British-made Storm Shadow cruise missiles, six US-made Himars reactive missiles and 67 drones,” the Russian military said in a statement. There was no information about impacts or damage.

Storm Shadow supposedly hits command center

British media had already reported on the attack the day before, citing unnamed insider sources. Accordingly, debris from the cruise missile was found in the town of Marjino in the Kursk region of Russia, almost 45 kilometers from the border.

At the same time, Kursk Governor Alexei Smirnov wrote on Telegram that two rockets had been fired – but he did not provide any information about their type. The Washington-based Institut for the Study of War (ISW) reported that a joint Russian-North Korean command point was attacked and destroyed.

However, the Ukrainian General Staff has not confirmed this information. Moscow is unlikely to admit to a critical hit anyway. British Defense Minister John Healey also dodged the question of using the Storm Shadow. He said he would not comment on operational details of the conflict

Russia is said to have fired an intercontinental ballistic missile

Instead, the Briton criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Defense Committee, accusing him of escalation. He has massively intensified air attacks on Ukraine in recent weeks and sent thousands of North Korean soldiers to the front.

“And there are unconfirmed media reports today that Russia has fired a new ballistic missile at Ukraine, which we know they have been preparing for months,” said Healey. Healey’s criticism referred to a statement from the Ukrainian Air Force that Moscow used an intercontinental ballistic missile in its attack on Ukraine.

The target was the industrial city of Dnipro in eastern Ukraine. According to official information, there were no injuries. The BBC later reported, citing anonymous sources, that there were doubts in the White House about the version of an intercontinental ballistic missile and that it could be a medium-range missile with a range of between 800 and 5,500 kilometers.

Zelensky: Putin uses Ukraine as a weapons testing site

Supposedly it’s an RS-26 Rubesh been used. Its maximum range should be 6,000 kilometers: it is essentially the little sister of the RS-24 Jarswhich entered service in 2010 and can fly up to 12,000 kilometers. The Rubesh would probably be the weapon with which Europe would be attacked in a nuclear emergency.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyj spoke about the case on the occasion of the anniversary of the start of pro-Western protests eleven years ago – the Euromaidan – about the case: “All characteristics – speed, altitude – are those of an intercontinental ballistic missile,” he said. The investigations would be ongoing. “It is obvious that Putin is using Ukraine as a testing ground,” emphasized Zelensky.

Meanwhile, unauthenticated videos circulating on social media showed bright particles falling over a nighttime city without subsequent explosions. It was assumed that this could show six empty warheads from the deployed intercontinental ballistic missile.

Russia does not comment on missile use

The rocket, which is in principle also capable of nuclear weapons, is said to have been fired from the Russian region of Astrakhan on the Caspian Sea – around 1,000 kilometers from the point of impact in Dnipro. Military observers spoke of a warning shot, but also a possible dress rehearsal for a real nuclear strike.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not want to comment on Ukraine’s alleged use of the intercontinental ballistic missile. Russia is doing everything it can to avoid nuclear war, he said. At the same time, Peskov accused the West of escalation. The outgoing US administration under President Joe Biden is irresponsible and is doing everything it can to add fuel to the fire and further fuel the conflict, he said.

The Kremlin had already made similar allegations when US-made ATACMS missiles were said to have been used for the first time against an ammunition depot in the Bryansk region of western Russia at the beginning of the week. Biden has reportedly agreed to the use of long-range weapons against Russia to send a signal to North Korea, which is believed to have sent soldiers into the conflict on Russia’s side.

Moscow holds supplying countries responsible

ATACMS and Storm Shadow are long-range weapons. The Kremlin has warned against their use over Russian territory. Putin claimed in October that these missiles could only be operated by Western military forces. Accordingly, any use of these weapons by Moscow would be viewed as direct participation of the relevant states in the war.

Recently, Russia had softened its nuclear doctrine in this context. Russia could also use nuclear weapons if the country was attacked by a state without nuclear weapons that was in turn supported by a nuclear power.

Ukraine is defending itself against Russia’s war of aggression for the third year. President Volodymyr Zelensky has long been asking for Western partners to be able to use more extensive weapons on Russian territory. The reason given was that this was crucial for the course of the war. But experts doubt that the long-range missiles can help Ukraine win.

By André Ballin and Andreas Stein, dpa