Ukraine accuses Moscow of hitting it with a strategic missile without a nuclear warhead, a first

Ukraine on Thursday accused Russia of striking it with a ballistic missile designed to carry nuclear warheads, a first use of this type of weaponry in conflict in history and which, even without an atomic payload, would constitute an unprecedented escalation of the war and Russian-Western tensions.

No Western country has, however, confirmed the type of missile fired, while expressing concern. The Kremlin has not denied the use of such a weapon, with a range of several thousand kilometers.

President Volodymyr Zelensky and Ukrainian diplomacy have affirmed that an expert assessment is underway, but that the launch had “all” the characteristics of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which has a range of more than 5,500 km.

Volodymyr Zelensky considered that this launch was in any case the act of a “crazy neighbor” who uses Ukraine as a military “testing ground.”

Military experts debate the precise nature of the missile used, its exact range and note that it is difficult to give a definitive answer without analyzing the debris.

Moscow has been using increasingly bellicose rhetoric for several days, evoking the atomic weapon because of Ukraine's use of American missiles against Russian territory.

The Ukrainian Air Force claimed in the morning that an “intercontinental ballistic missile” had been launched from southern Russia towards the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, in the center-east.

This type of missile, which has never been used in conflict but which Russia regularly tests on its territory, is designed to carry nuclear warheads and strike thousands of kilometres away.

A source within the Ukrainian army told AFP that this was the “first time” that a missile of this type had been used, adding that it was “obvious” that it did not carry a nuclear payload.

A video, circulated on social networks and not verified, shows six powerful flashes in the sky.

– “Extremely serious” –

The spokesman for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Christophe Lemoine, said that this was an event “extremely serious” if proven.

The European Union and London, also cautious about the veracity of this information, declared that this would constitute “an escalation” on the part of Moscow.

The extent of the damage was not immediately clear. Two people were injured by Russian strikes in Dnipro on Thursday, according to regional governor Sergiy Lysak.

Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov, questioned by media at a daily briefing, said he had “nothing to say” about the alleged strike.

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova was ordered not to comment on the matter. She was interrupted in the middle of a live briefing by a phone call, the caller asking her “not to comment” on the “ballistic missile” strike on the Pivdenmach satellite manufacturing plant in central Dnipro.

According to the Telegram channel Rybar, which is close to the Russian army, it is precisely this factory, formerly called “Yuzhmash”, which “could” have been targeted by an intercontinental missile of the RS-26 Rubezh type. This would be a “signal” sent to Ukraine, she believes.

An expert from the University of Oslo interviewed by AFP, Fabian Hoffmann, considered that such a strike had a “political” value for Moscow rather than a military one.

– Nuclear warnings –

The attack occurs at a time when tensions are at their highest between Moscow and the West, in the run-up to Donald Trump's return to the White House in January, anticipated as a turning point.

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

Ukraine: the positions of the military forces © AFP – Valentin RAKOVSKY, Sophie RAMIS, Cléa PECULIER

The Russian Defense Ministry announced 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 this interception.

This confirms kyiv's first use of these weapons against Russian territory.

Earlier in the week, Ukraine used American ATACMS missiles for the first time 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 Moscow's reaction.

Russia has strengthened its nuclear warnings in recent days.

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 but supported by a nuclear power, a clear reference to Ukraine and the United States.

The Kremlin, however, assured on Thursday that Russia will make “maximum efforts” to avoid a nuclear conflict.

Photograph from November 19, 2024 released by Ukrainian authorities of a soldier firing a mortar shell toward Russian positions near the town of Chasiv Yar, in the Donetsk region, Ukraine © 24th Mechanized Brigade of Ukrainian Armed Forces – Handout

Elsewhere in Ukraine, 26 people were injured in strikes in Kryvyi Rig, a town about 100 kilometers southwest of Dnipro, according to Governor Sergiy Lysak.

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.

The Russian advances are particularly worrying for kyiv, which fears being pushed to the negotiating table in a disadvantaged position.

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