This would be the first time that Moscow would use such a weapon, in this case not equipped with nuclear warheads, against Ukraine.
Russia launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) into Ukraine this Thursday morning between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m., the Ukrainian Air Force said on its Telegram channel. The intercontinental missile was “launched from the Astrakhan region”specifies the press release, near the Caspian Sea and more than 1000 kilometers from its target. The ICBM model, however, has not been specified.
The Russian army also fired several other missiles, also reports the Ukrainian Air Force, which cites a Kinjal missile fired from a MiG-31K fighter plane and seven cruise missiles fired from Tupolev 95MS bombers, six of which were shot down by air defense. “The other missiles did not have any significant consequences”indicates the press release which specifies that it has no information at this stage on the possible victims of the raid.
If Russia used Kinjal hypersonic missiles from the start of its invasion of Ukraine in March 2022 -134 precisely according to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, this is the first time that Moscow has launched an intercontinental missile in the war.
These missiles, which have a range of more than 5,500 km, according to the international classification, and reach dizzying speeds – up to more than Mach 20 can carry a conventional as well as nuclear warhead. Intercontinental missiles are also one of the main components of Russian nuclear deterrence.
Warnings from Moscow
Russia has increased its warnings against Ukraine and the West in recent days, in response to the green light given by the United States to kyiv to strike Russian soil with the ATACMS ballistic missiles delivered to it. The Ukrainians had long demanded authorization to use these weapons but the West feared the reaction from Moscow, which presented this as a red line.
Russia has also issued nuclear warnings again in recent days, while accusing the West of “want climbing”. According to its new doctrine on the use of nuclear weapons, made official on Tuesday, Russia can now use them in the event of an attack «massive» by a non-nuclear country but supported by a nuclear power, a clear reference to Ukraine and the United States.
This change “de facto excludes the possibility of defeating the Russian armed forces on the battlefield”underlined Wednesday the head of Russian foreign intelligence, Sergei Naryshkin, suggesting that Russia was going to resort to the atomic bomb rather than risk defeat in a conventional war. Washington, Paris, London and the European Union have denounced an attitude “irresponsible”while kyiv urged its allies to “don’t give in to fear”.
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