kyiv accuses Moscow of firing intercontinental missile at Ukraine for the first time

Photo: Russian Defense Ministry Agence France-Presse This screenshot from a video provided by the Russian Defense Ministry allegedly shows the launch of an intercontinental missile.

Agence France-Presse in kyiv

Published at 8:00 a.m.

• Europe

Ukraine accused Russia on Thursday of having, for the first time, fired an intercontinental missile on its territory, using this vector of its nuclear deterrent without an atomic payload, in the midst of a new Russo-Western escalation over the Ukrainian conflict.

The Russian army has so far remained silent, as has the Kremlin. “I have nothing to say on this subject,” replied the spokesman for the Russian presidency, Dmitry Peskov, questioned by the media on this subject during a daily briefing.

“An intercontinental ballistic missile was launched from the Russian region of Astrakhan,” in the south of the country, the Ukrainian air force said in a statement.

“This is the first time. “We have never had this type of missile before,” a source within the army told AFP.

These missiles are designed to carry nuclear warheads and strike thousands of kilometers away.

This use, if confirmed, marks a new escalation, while Russia had said it was preparing an “appropriate” response to Ukraine's use of Western missiles on Russian territory, which Moscow had called a red line.

It is “obvious” that the missile used on Thursday did not carry a nuclear payload, the AFP source within the air force told AFP.

The strike targeted the city of Dnipro, in central-eastern Ukraine, according to the army air. The extent of the damage was not immediately clear.

Two people were wounded by Russian strikes in Dnipro on Thursday, according to regional governor Sergiy Lysak, who did not specify what type of weaponry was used in the attack.

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Fifteen other people were wounded in another attack in Kryvyi Rig, a town about 100 kilometers southwest of Dnipro, according to Lysak.

Nuclear warnings

Thursday’s attack comes at a time of heightened tensions between Moscow and the West, ahead of Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January, which is anticipated as a turning point.

Russia, which invaded Ukraine in almost three years ago, has in recent days increased its large-scale strikes in Ukraine and issued warnings to kyiv's allies.

The Russian Defense Ministry announced on Thursday that it had shot down “two British-made ‘Storm Shadow’ cruise missiles” fired by Ukraine and targeting its territory, without specifying the location or time of the interception.

This confirms the first use by kyiv of these weapons against Russian territory.

Earlier in the week, Ukraine had used for the first time American ATACMS missiles, with a range of 300 km, against a military installation in the Russian region of Bryansk, after receiving authorization from Washington.

Several Western countries supplied long-range missiles to Ukraine but did not allow their use on Russian territory, fearing a reaction from Moscow.

Russia has strengthened its nuclear warnings in recent days, while accusing the West of “wanting escalation.”

According to its new doctrine on the use of nuclear weapons, made official on Tuesday, Russia can now use them in the event of a “massive” attack by a non-nuclear country supported by a nuclear power, a clear reference to Ukraine and the United States.

The Kremlin nevertheless assured on Thursday that Russia would make “maximum efforts” to avoid a nuclear conflict, saying it hoped that “other countries” would have “this responsible posture.”

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Advance in the east

The Russian army continues to advance in eastern Ukraine. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed responsibility for the capture of a small town near the eastern Ukrainian city of Kurakhove on Thursday.

Russian troops are now close to surrounding the industrial town, which has been deserted by a large part of its population due to the danger.

Moscow’s troops are also closing in on Pokrovsk, another urban center in the Donetsk region that is seen as strategic for the Ukrainian army’s logistics.

This progress is particularly worrying for kyiv, which fears being pushed to the negotiating table in a disadvantaged position.

Donald Trump, the winner of the American presidential election, has a very critical position on the aid paid to kyiv by his country. He has repeatedly promised to end the war “in 24 hours,” without however supporting his plan.