The alleged Russian intercontinental ballistic missile strike could be the first ever use of such a weapon in war.
Russian forces struck the Ukrainian city of Dnipro with an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Nov. 21, according to Ukrainian military officials.
In a statement, Ukraine’s air force said it believes the ICBM was fired from a location in Russia’s Astrakhan region, which borders the Caspian Sea. If accurate, it would be the first recorded use of an ICBM in an armed conflict in history.
Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched this ICBM alongside a Kinzhal air-launched ballistic missile and six Kh-101 cruise missiles. The Ukrainian military said it intercepted the cruise missiles and that the two ballistic missiles didn’t cause significant damage.
In a Thursday statement, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was less definitive about whether it was an ICBM that struck Dnipro, but said, “All the parameters: speed, altitude—match those of an intercontinental ballistic missile.”
Zelenskyy said further investigations are underway.
ICBMs were designed to carry one or potentially multiple nuclear warheads. If an ICBM struck Ukraine with only minimal damage, it would indicate that Russia armed the weapon with nonnuclear warheads.
Unconfirmed videosposted online purport to show multiple warheads striking Ukraine; a potential sign that the ICBM was launched in a multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle configuration.
The alleged ICBM strike happened just days after reports emerged that the United States had allowed Ukraine to use U.S.-origin long-range weapons for deep strikes inside Russian territory; a request Zelenskyy has raised for months.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned he would view long-range strikes inside Russia as a significant escalation in the ongoing Russia–Ukraine war.
Neither the Russian Ministry of Defense nor the Kremlin have commented publicly on the reported ICBM strike.
The Epoch Times contacted the U.S. Department of Defense for comment but didn’t receive a response by publication time.
This is a developing report and will be updated.
By Ryan Morgan
