BIG DEVELOPMENT: ‘Russia Launches ICBM Strike Against Ukraine’, UK Shoots Down Storm Shadow Missiles

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