This morning, Russia used an intercontinental ballistic missile against Ukraine for the first time, the Ukrainian Air Force reported
The city of Dnipro was under attack, namely enterprises and critical infrastructure. It is reported that the launch was made from the Astrakhan region of the Russian Federation.
The type of missile is not specified. The day before, information appeared on social networks about Russia’s plans to use the RS-26 Rubezh missile.
In total, the Russian forces fired one Kinzhal and seven Kh-101 missiles. It is reported that the Ukrainian defense forces managed to shoot down six Kh-101 missiles.
However, later Putin announced, that Russia hit Ukraine with an Oreshnik ballistic missile.
This was a test, the dictator said. Putin also added that this was allegedly a response to Western partners’ permission for Ukraine to strike the territory of the Russian Federation.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry responded: in connection with Russia’s use of a new type of weapon to strike Ukraine, the Foreign Ministry is taking diplomatic steps. In particular, the department has contacted partners to inform them of the incident.
We will also use the UN and NATO mechanisms and plan to involve the OSCE mechanisms to respond to this event. There will be formal appeals, notes, and the convening of separate formats to wake up the world and draw attention to what happened, statement explains.
Shortly before the launch of the medium-range ballistic missile named “Oreshnik” by Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, Russia warned the United States about the missile strike on Ukraine.
A U.S. official confirmed this during a briefing with reporters, as reported by Reuters. The official stated that the warning was issued through channels aimed at reducing the risk of nuclear conflict.
The U.S. had earlier informed Ukraine and other close allies that Moscow might test-launch an experimental medium-range ballistic missile. However, American officials believe that this missile is unlikely to significantly impact the war in Ukraine, as Russia likely possesses only a limited number of such weapons.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov later confirmed the warning to the propaganda agency TASS. He specified that the notification was sent via the “Russian National Center for Nuclear Risk Reduction” just 30 minutes before the launch.
According to Ukraine’s Air Force, Russia used an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in its recent attack on Dnipro. Sources told Ukrainska Pravda that the missile could have been the “Rubezh,” a potential nuclear carrier. However, two Western officials told Reuters that initial data does not confirm the use of an ICBM by Russia.
During an address on November 21, Putin effectively corroborated U.S. reports, stating that a medium-range missile, “Oreshnik,” was used in the morning attack on Dnipro.
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