Russia's revenge: Moscow 'launches intercontinental ballistic missile’ in attack on Ukraine

21 November 2024, 10:26 | Updated: 21 November 2024, 11:56

Moscow has launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) at Ukraine in retaliation over its use of UK and US rockets in Russian territory, according to Kyiv's air force.

The missile, which has never been used in combat before, was fired from a base in Astrakhan early this morning.

It targeted critical infrastructure in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, Kyiv’s air force said.

An industrial enterprise was damaged in the attack as well as it causing two fires.

However, a Western official has claimed the weapon used was a ballistic missile not an ICBM.

It comes after Ukraine used US and UK long-range missiles in Russian territory.

Residents in the village of Marino, close to the city of Kursk, claimed to have found fragments of the UK-supplied Storm Shadow missile on Wednesday.

A day earlier, Russia's defence ministry said Ukraine had hit the country with ATACMS missiles supplied by the US.

Five missiles were shot down and one damaged, with fragments causing a sizeable fire at a military facility in the region, it said in a statement.

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Russia has since threatened to strike US air bases in Poland with "advanced weapons" as tensions continue to grow.

The new ballistic missile defence base in Redzikowo has been listed to a list of possible targets due to it increasing "the overall level of nuclear danger".

It opened on November 13 as part of a larger Nato missile shield.

"This is another frankly provocative step in a series of deeply destabilising actions by the Americans and their allies," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said.

She continued: "The missile defence base in Poland has been added to the list of priority targets for potential destruction which, if necessary, can be executed with a wide range of advanced weapons."

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Ukraine's air force did not specify which missile had been fired earlier on Thursday, but it followed warnings that Russia could unleash the RS-26 'Frontier' missile.

Timur Syrlanov, a Russian military analyst, said Ukraine should be "trembling" over the potential use of the rocket.

"In this situation, we will not use nuclear weapons, but the neo-Nazis and their Western allies, I think, will appreciate in the coming days the blow that will be dealt to Ukraine’s critical infrastructure and, possibly, to targets in Kyiv itself," he told Russian newspaper Moskovky Komsomolets.

"Let them tremble, be afraid, and wait for landings anywhere.

"Moreover, the enemy understands perfectly well that our weapons can reach any targets throughout Ukraine."

Until now, Russia has been using smaller Iskander missiles in Ukraine.

It comes after the US embassy in Kyiv was forced to temporarily close amid concerns of a "significant air attack".

Embassy employees were told to shelter in place if an air alert was announced on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Putin has also signed a new doctrine lowering the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons.

The doctrine said any aggression against Russia by a state which was a member of a coalition would be considered by Moscow to be aggression against it by the whole coalition.

Dmitry Medvedev, who is deputy chairman of the security council, confirmed the decision on Tuesday, tweeting: "Russia's new nuclear doctrine means NATO missiles fired against our country could be deemed an attack by the bloc on Russia.

"Russia could retaliate with WMD against Kiev and key NATO facilities, wherever they're located. That means World War III."