Nov. 21 (UPI) — Ukraine said Russia fired an intercontinental ballistic missile Thursday morning, marking the first time the nuclear warhead-compatible weapon had been used in the 1,000-day-old war.
Kyiv’s air force said in a statement on Telegram that the ICBM was launched from the Astrakhan region of Russia in an attack on the central-eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro.
It was fired between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. local time. The attack also consisted of seven cruise missiles launched from strategic bombers and an aeroballistic missile fired from a MiG-31k fighter jet.
Six cruise missiles were destroyed by anti-aircraft forces, Ukraine’s air force said. Neither casualties nor damages incurred in the attack were detailed.
ICBMs have a range of thousands of miles and can be fitted with nuclear and conventional warheads.
Russia’s reported use of an ICBM follows claims that Ukraine fired both U.S. and British long-range missiles this week after U.S. President Joe Biden gave Ukraine the green light to use Army Tactical Missile Systems to attack deeper within Russian territory.
Biden had been reluctant in signing off on Ukraine using ATACMS to attack deeper into Russian territory over fears of escalating the war.
The ATACMS was first used in the theater Tuesday, according to Russia. Ukraine this week also fired British-made Storm Shadow missiles, The Guardian reported, citing unnamed sources.
