Ukraine claims Russia's first ICBM launch in ongoing war

Russia launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) during an attack on Ukraine on Thursday for the first time, according to Kyiv's air force.

This marks the first confirmed use of such a powerful, nuclear-capable weapon with a range of thousands of kilometers in the ongoing war, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.

The air force reported the launch after Ukraine fired U.S. and British missiles at targets inside Russia this week, despite warnings by Moscow that it would see such action as a major escalation in the 33-month-old war.

Russia did not immediately comment on the air force statement.

Intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) are strategic weapons designed to deliver nuclear warheads and are an important part of Russia's nuclear deterrent. The Ukrainians did not specify what kind of warhead the missile had or what type of missile it was. There was no suggestion it was nuclear-armed.

The Russian missile attack targeted enterprises and critical infrastructure in the central-eastern city of Dnipro, the air force said.

The air force did not say what the ICBM had targeted or whether it had caused any damage, but regional governor Serhiy Lysak said the missile attack caused damage to an industrial enterprise and set off fires in Dnipro. Two people were hurt.

Russia also fired a Kinzhal hypersonic missile and seven Kh-101 cruise missiles, six of which were shot down, the Ukrainian air force said.

"In particular, an intercontinental ballistic missile was launched from the Astrakhan region of the Russian Federation," it said, without specifying say what kind of ICBM was fired.

Defense Express, a Ukrainian defence consultancy, asked whether the United States, Kyiv's main international ally, had been informed about the missile launch ahead of time.

"It is also a question of whether the United States was warned about the launch and its direction, as the announcement of such launches is a prerequisite for preventing the triggering of a missile warning system and the launch of missiles in response," Defence Express wrote after the air force statement.

News.Az